Causes Of Autoimmune Hepatitis

Viruses And Infections

Sometimes, viruses and infections can trigger autoimmune diseases such as autoimmune hepatitis. This happens when the immune system gets confused and begins to attack the body's own cells after fighting off a certain type of virus or bacteria. This may be because certain cells in the body resemble bacteria or viruses, at least from the point of view of the immune cells. In the case of autoimmune hepatitis, there may be a virus or bacteria with some of the same markers as liver cells. When the body develops an immunity to that virus or bacteria, it also develops an immunity to the liver cells by mistake. There is no known way to prevent this from happening. Once the immune system starts mistakenly recognizing something as a threat, it cannot return to normal.

Keep reading to learn about how autoimmune hepatitis is diagnosed.