Background and aims: Drug-related side effects are considered the major consequences of relapse and re-treatment in patients with autoimmune hepatitis. Our goals were to determine whether relapse is associated with disease progression and whether treatment end points can be refined.
Methods: The outcomes of 132 patients with definite type 1 autoimmune hepatitis who had been treated comparably until remission were assessed retrospectively after drug withdrawal.
Results: Patients who had relapsed repeatedly after initial treatment withdrawal developed cirrhosis more commonly than patients who sustained remission (18/48 vs 1/22, P=0.004), and those who relapsed once (18/48 vs 2/21, P=0.02). Hepatic death or the need for liver transplantation was also more frequent in the patients who had multiple relapses than those who sustained remission (13/64 vs 0/30, P=0.008) and those who relapsed once (13/64 vs 1/38, P=0.02). Patients who sustained their remission had a higher frequency of normal laboratory indices at drug withdrawal than patients who relapsed (88% vs 46%, P=0.003). Adverse outcomes after relapse did not distinguish patients until after 5 years of observation.
Conclusions: Multiple relapses are associated with a poorer prognosis than sustained remission or single relapse episodes. Initial treatment to resolution of laboratory abnormalities may afford the greatest opportunity to prevent relapse.