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Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is an uncommon but progressive inflammatory liver disease that can lead to cirrhosis. Treatment options include steroids and azathioprine. Although several AIH studies have shown that clinical and demographic factors are associated with poor outcomes, most patients involved in these studies were treated in tertiary-care centers and were not likely representative of the general population.
Now, investigators in New Zealand have conducted a population-based study to identify predictors of advanced fibrosis, incomplete response to immunosuppression (abnormal alanine aminotransferase after 6 months of initial treatment), and liver-related death or need for transplantation in AIH. The researchers prospectively and retro…