When I was nineteen years old, I was diagnosed with autoimmune hepatitis. It was a complete shock to me, especially since I had never heard of the disease before. I had been having some strange symptoms, but I didn’t think they could signal hepatitis. There was no history of liver disease in our family, and I had always tried to take very good care of myself, so I was at a loss to explain this drastic change in my health.
Autoimmune hepatitis is a disease in which the immune system attacks the liver, usually for reasons unknown, but it is suspected that genetics play a role. The attacks from the immune system cause inflammation of the liver. If the inflammation continues long enough, scarring, also known as cirrhosis, occurs, in which case the liver ceases to function optimally and in some cases can fail altogether. Autoimmune hepatitis is one of many autoimmune diseases that can occur in families. The autoimmune response can occur in many areas of the body, such as the pancreas, in which case type 1 diabetes develops, or the thyroid, in which the resulting disease is known as Hashimoto’s disease. Although the organs and body parts affected can differ, the etiology is the same: the immune system mistakenly identifies the organ or body part as an enemy and attacks it, causing inflammation and damage in the process.
It is important to listen to your body and trust when you feel that something is not right, especially if the symptoms you are having are persistent. Below I list the three early symptoms of autoimmune hepatitis that I experienced.
1. Extreme fatigue and general malaise
In the two months or so leading up to my diagnosis, I felt extremely tired and generally unwell and would sleep anywhere from ten to fourteen hours a day. I had noticed my fatigue but I assumed it was because I was in college and trying to balance my schoolwork, social life, volunteer work, etc. What I should have realized when I couldn’t resolve the fatigue no matter how much I slept was that something else was going on.
2. Lack of appetite and mild nausea
This symptom should be a huge red flag in anyone who has always had a healthy appetite. I thought my lack of appetite was caused by the flu at the time and ate only fruits and vegetables and plain pasta. When after a while I didn’t even want to eat those foods, and began to feel nauseated at the very idea of eating anything, I knew something was seriously wrong.
3. Itchy Skin
Another odd symptom I experienced was persistently itchy skin, though I couldn’t find any evidence of a rash or insect bites to explain it. This symptom occurs because when the liver is inflamed, the bile ducts can become inflamed as well and as a result they back up and deposit bile products into the skin.
By the time of my diagnosis, I was already experiencing some of the more obvious signs of hepatitis, like jaundice and a metallic taste in my mouth. Had I known what these three early warning signs could mean, I might have been diagnosed more quickly. The problem with autoimmune diseases is that many of the symptoms can be very vague and doctors and patients do not always realize what they are dealing with right away.
I discovered from doing some research that even though there was no liver disease history in my family, there was autoimmune disease history, and it tended to jump around, from my grandmother to a second cousin to me. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms and especially if you know that there is autoimmune disease in your family, you should check with your doctor to be evaluated.
Sources:
Mayo Clinic Staff. “Autoimmune Hepatitis Definition.” MayoClinic.com
Medline. “Autoimmune Diseases.” Medline Plus.
Mayo Clinic Staff. “Type 1 Diabetes Definition.” MayoClinic.com
Mayo Clinic Staff. “Hashimoto’s Disease Definition.” MayoClinic.com
