Revista Espanola de Enfermedades Digestivas (Jul 2008)
Estudio clínico de la hepatitis autoinmune del adulto en Valencia A clinical study of adult autoimmune hepatitis in Valencia, Spain
Abstract
Introducción: existen factores geográficos que influyen en las características de la hepatitis autoinmune (HAI). Objetivo: conocer las características epidemiológicas, clínicas y respuesta al tratamiento de la hepatitis autoinmune en la provincia de Valencia. Material y métodos: se trata de un estudio realizado en ocho hospitales de Valencia, recogiendo de forma prospectiva los casos de hepatitis autoinmune diagnosticados en el año 2003 y de forma retrospectiva los diagnosticados entre 1994 y 2002. Resultados: se incluyeron 81 pacientes con HAI, siendo el 94% mujeres. La forma de presentación fue: 43% asintomático, 27% hepatitis aguda y 30% enfermedad hepática crónica. La mayoría (90%) fueron del tipo 1, mientras que las de tipo 2 fueron más jóvenes (p = 0,007) y con predominio de hepatitis aguda (p = 0,04). Existía otra enfermedad autoinmune en uno de cada 4 casos. Al momento del diagnóstico una tercera parte de los pacientes presentaba cirrosis. La cirrosis se presentó sobre todo en pacientes de más de 60 años (p Objective: the clinical phenotype of autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) varies among geographical areas. The aim of this study is to determine the salient features of AIH in adult patients from the province of Valencia, Spain. Material and methods: eighty-one patients with AIH attended to in eight acute-care hospitals between 1994 and 2003. New patients diagnosed with AIH during year 2003 were evaluated prospectively. Data from patients currently attending follow-up visits and diagnosed before 2003 were collected retrospectively. Results: a total of 94% of patients were females. Forty-three percent were asymptomatic, 27% had acute hepatitis, and 30% had chronic hepatitis. Type 1 AIH was diagnosed in 90% of cases. Type 2 AIH was more frequent in younger patients, and presented with an acute pattern. One third of patients had cirrhosis at onset. Patients with cirrhosis were older than 60 years more frequently. Immunosuppressants were given to 57 patients, with complete or partial remission in 87.7%. There were no significant differences in response to immunosuppression according to presentation pattern or AIH subtype. Conclusions: AIH in Valencia was predominantly diagnosed in asymptomatic women. Most cases were type 1, and in 25% of patients another autoimmune disease coexisted. At the time of diagnosis one third of patients had cirrhosis, particularly those over 60 years.
