Help for aih

[Kimlouise1981]

I'm just going through diagnosis stage. I have all the usual fatigue joint pains diarhea. My asma came back positive 1:40 . Had a clear ultrasound.opinions please I'm really confused

[Hidden]

Can I ask, what leads you think you have AIH?

[Kimlouise1981 in reply to Hidden]

My doctor is currently testing me for it as I have all the symptoms

[Hidden]

The reason I ask is because I have AIH and I don't recognise your symptoms! The SMA needs to be taken in conjunction with ALT and IgG levels. The SMA alone is not enough to indicate AIH. In order to arrive at a diagnosis of AIH, these blood tests need to be done (I am sure they have been). Secondly, other possibilities need to be ruled out, as many things can cause the liver to go awry. So for instance they will need to rule out Viral causes (Hep A-C); Alcoholism/drug usage; Non- alcoholic Fatty liver disease; Wilson's disease to name a few.

Once they have ruled out other possibilities and the correct results are there for the bloods, then they will look at the ultrasound, but the liver can often look normal with AIH, although the ultrasound can pick up on the size of the liver (i.e. shrinkage). Cirrhosis may be indicated, but not always.

Only when they have done all of this, will they order a biopsy to confirm their diagnosis. The biopsy will tell them if you have inflammation and scarring and help them to distinguish between fibrosis and cirrhosis.

I hope this answers your question as you didn't give much detail.

All the best

[Newengland01]

I have AIH and when I first got diagnosed, I also had the same symptoms as you do. I had a clear Ultrasound too but my immune system went crazy and I started to attack my liver. I take Azithroprine and am now in remission for the past 6 yrs. The meds stop you immune system from attacking but it does not take away the symptoms. Sometimes I still have joint pain but nothing else. My lft’s and other labs were out of normal range in the beginning but all my labs have returned to normal since starting meds. I’d be happy to answer any questions