A total of 8 of 11 (73%) nitrofurantoin cases had jaundice at presentation (Table 5), whereas only 3 of 11 (27%) of the minocycline cases had jaundice at presentation (Table 6). All patients with nitrofurantoin-induced AIH were treated with immunosuppression (Table 5), whereas two minocycline patients were not treated (Table 6). In one case attributable to rapidly improving jaundice, liver tests before therapy were instituted, and BMS-777607 cost not in another case attributable to mild liver enzyme abnormalities (Table 6). All cases with all parameters available to make a score for the likelihood of AIH received at least a “probable” score; however, in three cases, information about gamma globulins was not available for

PLX-4720 cell line the AIH score. At the end of follow-up, among those who had at least 6 months’ follow-up at the Mayo clinic, 22 of 23 (96%) of the DIAIH patients were in biochemical remission, as were 159 of 177 (90%) of the other AIH patients (NS). None of the DIAIH patients developed cirrhosis during follow-up, and all were alive at last follow-up, whereas 18 of 257 (7%) AIH patients had developed cirrhosis clinically (P = NS). Overall, five of these patients had decompensated

liver cirrhosis with mild ascites in most, and 13 patients had nonbleeding esophageal varices. Among the seven patients who died during the study period, only two deaths were liver related. One patient died of fulminant hepatic failure on the liver transplantation list a few months after presentation, and one other patient died in chronic liver failure and with a disseminated breast cancer. Others died of stroke, heart failure, and colon cancer, and two had unknown causes of death. At the end of follow-up, one of the above-mentioned patients with cirrhosis had undergone liver transplantation, two were listed, and one was evaluated for transplantation. The results of the current study suggest that among consecutive patients with click here well-characterized AIH, drug-induced AIH makes up a significant proportion, approximately 9%, of AIH cases. More than 90% of these DIAIH cases were associated with two drugs, nitrofurantoin and minocycline. Overall, the histological features of DIAIH seem to be identical

to those of AIH. Severe imaging abnormalities with liver lobe and general liver atrophy were also commonly observed in nitrofurantoin but not in minocycline cases, indicating postnecrotic scarring. None of the patients with DIAIH developed cirrhosis during follow-up, and these patients seem to have a generally favorable prognosis. All patients with DIAIH in whom discontinuation of immunosuppressive therapy was tried could withdraw drug therapy without a relapse, whereas only approximately one third of the other AIH patients did not experience a relapse after withdrawal of immunosuppression. Taken together, our results suggest that DIAIH is a distinct phenomenon, and a trial of withdrawal of immunosuppression should be undertaken in these patients.