Review article: the management of autoimmune hepatitis beyond consensus guidelines

• Published in: Alimentary pharmacology & therapeutics Vol. 38; no. 4; pp. 343 - 364
• Main Author: Czaja, A. J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Blackwell 01.08.2013
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Consensus Development Conferences as Topic; Digestive system; Gastroenterology. Liver. Pancreas. Abdomen; Hepatitis, Autoimmune - diagnosis; Hepatitis, Autoimmune - drug therapy; Humans; Immunosuppressive Agents - therapeutic use; Liver. Biliary tract. Portal circulation. Exocrine pancreas; Medical sciences; Other diseases. Semiology; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Practice Guidelines as Topic; Severity of Illness Index; Treatment Outcome; Immunopathology; Hepatitis; Clinical management; Digestive diseases; Hepatic disease; Autoimmune disease; Review; Consensus; Recommendation; Bibliographic review
• ISSN: 0269-2813; 1365-2036
• DOI: 10.1111/apt.12381

Summary Background Consensus guidelines aid in the diagnosis and management of autoimmune hepatitis, but they are frequently based on low‐quality clinical evidence, conflicting experiences and divergent opinions. Recommendations may be weak, discrepant or non‐existent at critical decision points. Aims To identify the decision points where guidelines are weak or non‐existent and review the evidence essential in the decision process. Methods Full‐text articles published in English using the keyword ‘autoimmune hepatitis’ were identified by PubMed from 1972 to 2013. Personal experience and investigations in autoimmune hepatitis also identified important contributions. Results Seventy per cent of the guidelines developed by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases and 48% of those proposed by the British Society of Gastroenterology are based on low‐quality evidence, conflicting experiences or divergent opinions. The key uncertainties in diagnosis relate to the timing of liver biopsy, recognising acute severe (fulminant) disease, interpreting coincidental nonclassical histological changes, accommodating atypical or deficient features in non‐White patients, differentiating drug‐induced from classical disease and identifying overlap syndromes. The key uncertainties in management relate to pre‐treatment testing for thiopurine methyltransferase activity, treating asymptomatic mild disease, determining treatment end points, managing suboptimal responses, incorporating nonstandard medications as front‐line and salvage agents, using azathioprine in pregnancy and instituting surveillance for hepatocellular carcinoma. Conclusions Consensus guidelines are fraught with uncertainties in the diagnosis and management of autoimmune hepatitis. Each decision point must counterbalance the current available evidence and tailor the application of this evidence to the individual patient.