can diet,losing weight and exercise help towards autoimmune hepatitis? 3 questions

[mikewaterfall]

hi

just wanted to know, alittle about autoimmune hepatitis and how ti works

i have had mildly riased ALT for many years, liver was fine on ultrasound, after removing sugars from my diet and losing some weight and exercising, my ALT has dropped down from 80's, 90's, 100's
to 40's almost down to normal range, can this be achieved in autoimmune hepatitis?
as in having inflamation of the liver with raised ALT, after going on a good diet, losing weight and exercise, i know this is healthy for the liver and would allow it to work better, anyways:

can this also stop the autoimmune hepatitis or influence it in some way?

can one have auto immune hepatitis with normal liver enzymes? and ulrasound showing normal liver?

thanks

[mikesimon]

You're right about AMA being associated with PBC - I think the percentage of PBC patients showing mitochondrial antibodies is > 95%.
Mitochondrial antibodies are not usually seen in AIH.
I don't know what is available in your area regarding medical care but if there is a hepatologist nearby I would try to see one and have the appropriate tests necessary to make a diagnosis. If not a hepatologist them a gastroenterologist would be the specialist to see.

Good luck,
Mike

[wq2]

It is not that easy, check this site out:

http://www.liverdisease.com/liverenzymes_hepatitis.html

Ps: I am not in any way affiliated with the author or authors of  the aforementioned site, I do not endorse it in any way, nor do I have any medical training or skill to help me determine the veracity or quality of the information given.  I am just recommending it as a tool, used by me to try to clear some doubts I have as a patient.

[mikewaterfall]

so exercise,diet and losing weight would lower te liver enzymes in autoimmune hep ?

im asking because i have raised ALT ;evels and when i exercise it comes down almost to normal levels, is that only typical in atty liver disease?

[wq2]

Everything helps, specially if you manage to eliminate all other possible aggressive agents. However, I think you treat  autoimmune hepatitis with corticosteroids.

[mikewaterfall]

hi thanks for the reply

so according to that, exercise and diet does not make any changes to autoimmune hepititis, so if my mildly raised ALT was lowered due to weight loss,exercise,diet this would be pointing to simply fatty liver as these results most probably would not occur in autoimmune heptitis

how about PBC? i mention this as its another conditon thats associated with autoimmune but since its caused by the bilary side of things im sure it again wouldn't be influenced by diet,exercise.

the only concern i have is i have tested positive for antimitochondrial antibody twice
showing it is a weak result, can be associated with other autoimmune diseases including liver disease, but i read an article showing 97% of pbc patients are antimitochondrial antibody positive.

[mikesimon]

I would hope that living a healthy lifestyle would be beneficial to everyone with or without a medical disorder. I just haven't seen anything that suggests specifically that lifestyle and diet can positively impact AIH. The one exception is obesity. It increases the risk of developing fatty liver which would not be good for someone with AIH.

I found this at the following site. It is worth taking a look at.

http://www.uptodate.com/patients/content/topic.do?topicKey=~wRu.l3/PL9I/eR

"......Diet — No specific diet has been shown to improve the outcome in patients with autoimmune hepatitis. The best advice is to eat a normal, healthy and balanced diet and to avoid becoming obese; obesity can increase the risk of fatty liver disease and can cause complications of autoimmune hepatitis.

Alcohol — Alcohol should be avoided since it can cause fatty liver and other liver damage. All types of alcoholic beverages can be harmful to the liver, including beer, wine, and liquor. Patients with liver disease may worsen with even small amounts of alcohol.

Exercise — Exercise is good for overall health and is encouraged, but it has no specific benefit for people with autoimmune hepatitis.

Prescription and nonprescription drugs — Many drugs are broken down by the liver. Thus, it is always best to check with a healthcare provider or pharmacist before starting a new prescription. Unless the liver is already scarred, most drugs are safe. Some people with active liver disease will be advised to take a smaller dose of medication.

An important exception is acetaminophen (Tylenol), commonly used for headaches, other aches and pains, and fever. In people with any type of liver disease, the maximum recommended dose of acetaminophen is no more than 2000 mg (in divided doses) per 24 hours. Thus, it is reasonable to take 500 mg every four to six hours, although this should not be repeated more than four times in one day.

Herbal medications — There are a number of claims, particularly on the internet, that herbal medications can improve liver health. However, no single or combination of herbs has been proven to improve outcomes in patients with autoimmune hepatitis. Some herbs can cause serious liver damage. For this reason, we do not currently recommend any herbal treatment for liver disease.

Support — Do not underestimate the value of sharing your concerns with other people with autoimmune hepatitis. Ask your healthcare provider about support groups or other patients who may be willing to discuss their experiences with autoimmune hepatitis...."

Have you had a liver biopsy?
Has anyone advised any specific treatment?

I wish you good luck,

Mike