autoimmune hep.

[bink766]

Is autoimmune Hepatitis and viral hep. the same ??

[rpooo]

Good morning Bink,
It seems they have deleted the other group (a good thing to avoid confusion with our new group) but it is nice to refer back to our previous conversations to know where we left off.

If I remember correctly one of the medications you were taking was Ursodiol, has there been any mentioning of increasing your dosage?
I did some research for you this morning and this is what I found:

"Ursodiol (Actigall). Ursodiol is the only drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of primary biliary cirrhosis. Ursodiol assists the liver in moving bile through the ducts to the gallbladder and small intestine".

It is the blockages that have formed in these ducts that are responsible for your jaundice since the bile can no longer pass through to the intestine to be excreted out of the body. This causes the elevation of bilirubin in the blood stream resulting in jaundice. Probably extremely elevated on your most recent labs.

As you probably already know the biopsy was taken to test for the advancement of the PBC.

The referal for the Mayo clinic is a good thing since you should be not only be seeing a Gastroenterologist (specializing in the digestive system to include the liver) but also a Hepatologist (liver specialist). The Mayo clinic is a very reputable transplant center and will provide you with better testing and treatment options than your current Gastro can. Keep abiding by your doctors restrictions and drink plenty of fluids to avoid any more dehydration. Eat a nutritious diet. Malnutrition is common in people with cirrhosis, a healthy diet is important in all stages of the disease. Health care providers recommend a meal plan that is well balanced. If fluid overload develops, a low-sodium diet is recommended. Loss of appetite is very common amoungst cirrhotic people but your nutrition is critical to maintain strength and crucial for survival particularly in the event transplant is required. Are you having any other symptoms aside from the jaundice?

Take care my friend and please keep me updated on how you are feeling.

Randy

P.S. I am replying to your most recent post here to help keep our topics separated :)

http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Cirrhosis-of-the-Liver/Is-this-a-new-forum/show/1752423
  

[bink766]

yes it does , thank you Hector

[HectorSF]

If you mean do they have the same causes or treatments. No.

Hepatitis means inflammation (swelling) of the liver.
Hepatitis can be caused by the following:

Toxins
Certain drugs
Some diseases
Heavy alcohol use
Bacterial and viral infections

* Autoimmune Hepatitis is inflammation of the liver that occurs when immune cells mistake the liver's normal cells for harmful invaders and attack them.

* Hepatitis is most often caused by one of several viruses, which is why it is often called Viral Hepatitis. The most common types of viral hepatitis in the United States are hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C.  

I hope this answers your question.

Hector