Utilization and Impact of Complementary and Alternative Medicines in Symptomatic Autoimmune Hepatitis Patients.

Background: Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use has become increasingly common. It is also prevalent in patients with chronic liver disease, but the scope, depth, and safety of use is not well known.

Aims: This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence and patterns of CAM use in autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) patients.

Environmental risk factors are associated with autoimmune hepatitis.

Background: Failure of immunologic homeostasis and resultant hepatocyte destruction in autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is likely the result of environmental triggers within a permissive genetic architecture.

Aims: We aimed to identify risk factors associated with AIH in a well-phenotyped AIH cohort.

Methods: We prospectively collected environmental questionnaires from 358 AIH cases and 563 healthy controls.

Patients with Autoimmune Hepatitis Report Lower Lifetime Coffee Consumption.

Background: Coffee drinking has been associated with decreased risk of some autoimmune diseases as well liver disease and outcomes. Environmental factors, such as coffee consumption, are yet to be assessed among patients with autoimmune hepatitis (AIH).

Aim: We sought to investigate the relationship between coffee consumption and risk of AIH utilizing the Genetic Repository of Autoimmune Liver Disease and Contributing Exposures (GRACE) database.

Hepatic steatosis is highly prevalent but is not correlated with stiffness in autoimmune hepatitis.

The prevalence and impact of hepatic steatosis among patients with autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is not well described.We conducted a cross-sectional study to determine the prevalence of hepatic steatosis in AIH patients and examined its relationship with hepatic fibrosis using vibration controlled transient elastography. Liver stiffness measurement (LSM), controlled attenuation parameter (CAP), gender, current age, and body mass index (BMI) were collected from 277 AIH patients.

Alcohol Abstinence Does Not Fully Reverse Abnormalities of Mucosal-Associated Invariant T Cells in the Blood of Patients With Alcoholic Hepatitis.

Objectives: Alcoholic hepatitis (AH) develops in approximately 30% of chronic heavy drinkers. The immune system of patients with AH is hyperactivated, yet ineffective against infectious diseases. Mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells are innate-like lymphocytes that are highly enriched in liver, mucosa, and peripheral blood and contribute to antimicrobial immunity.