Treatment works best when autoimmune hepatitis is diagnosed
early. With proper treatment, autoimmune hepatitis can
usually be controlled. In fact, recent studies show that
sustained response to treatment not only stops the disease
from getting worse, but it may actually reverse some of the
damage.
The primary treatment is
medicine to suppress (slow down) an overactive immune
system.
Both types of autoimmune
hepatitis are treated with daily doses of a corticosteroid
called prednisone. Your doctor may start you on a high dose
(20 to 60 mg per day) and lower the dose as the disease is
controlled. The goal is to find the lowest possible dose
that will control your disease.
Another medicine, azathioprine
(Imuran) is also used to treat autoimmune hepatitis. Like
prednisone, azathioprine suppresses the immune system, but
in a different way. It helps lower the dose of prednisone
needed, thereby reducing its side effects. Your doctor may
prescribe azathioprine, in addition to prednisone, once your
disease is under control.
Most people will need to take
prednisone, with or without azathioprine, for years. Some
people take it for life. Corticosteroids may slow down the
disease, but everyone is different. In about one out of
every three people, treatment can eventually be stopped. It
is important to carefully monitor your condition and
promptly report any new symptoms to your doctor because the
disease may return and be even more severe, especially
during the first few months after stopping treatment.
In about 7 out of 10 people,
the disease goes into remission, with a lessening of
severity of symptoms, within 2 years of starting treatment.
A portion of persons with a remission will see the disease
return within 3 years, so treatment may be necessary on and
off for years, if not for life.
