What is autoimmune hepatitis?

In autoimmune hepatitis, a person’s own immune system attacks the liver. This causes irritation and swelling of the liver. If left untreated, the liver will become permanently damaged and scarred.

Autoimmune hepatitis is more common in girls and there are two forms of the disease. Type 1 is the most common form and occurs at any age, while type 2 is most often diagnosed in children.

At The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, children with autoimmune hepatitis are treated by hepatologists and gastroenterologists in the Biesecker Pediatric Liver Center and the Division of Gastroenterology (GI), Hepatology and Nutrition.