Autoimmune Hepatitis and Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis: An Overlap Syndrome Resistant to Azathioprine and Intolerant to Tacrolimus with Sepsis Mimicking Flare UP-A Clinical Dilemma

  • Sharon T Mathews Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi, India. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2257-9909
  • Deepika Poonia Assistant Professor, Department of Anatomy, Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi, India.
  • Naresh Kumar Professor of Medicine and Head, Pulmonary Medicine, Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi, India.
  • M Bhavana Postgraguate, Department of Medicine, Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi, India.
  • RS Ahlawat Director Professor, Department of Medicine, Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi, India.
  • Harpreet Singh Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi, India.
  • Suresh Kumar Director Professor & Head, Department of Medicine, Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi, India.
  • Sandeep Garg Professor, Department of Medicine, Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi, India.
Keywords: Autoimmune Hepatitis, Primary Sclerosis Cholangitis, Overlap Syndrome, Azathioprine, Tacrolimus, Mycophenolate

Abstract

Patients with autoimmune liver disease in a frequency of 7% -18% fit into the diagnostic criteria for more than one condition. Up to 12.5% of Autoimmune Hepatitis (AIH) and Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC) cohorts have a label of AIH/PSC overlap. There can be an unpredictable interval of many years between the diagnosis of the two conditions. There are scoring systems but no established criteria for the diagnosis of AIH/PSC overlap. Therefore, a diagnosis based on combination of biochemistry, autoantibody profile, cholangiogram, and liver histologyis made. Histopathology staging of AIH/PSC overlap influences therapeutic options and prognosis. There is beneficial role of immunosuppression, even though there is a higher relapse rate and evidence of progressive liver disease despite immunosuppression in some cases. Liver related outcomes in this overlap are better than PSC alone but are poorer than AIH. We herein report a rare presentation of an overlap syndrome with AIH and PSC in a patient in whom, treatment with first line therapy showed incomplete response and the salvage therapy was not tolerated, presenting with Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) and a clinical picture of sepsis resembling AIH flare.

How to cite this article:
Mathews ST, Poonia D, Kumar N, Bhavana M, Ahlawat RS, Singh H et al. Autoimmune Hepatitis and Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis: An Overlap Syndrome Resistant to Azathioprine and Intolerant to Tacrolimus with Sepsis Mimicking Flare up-A Clinical Dilemma. J Adv Res Med 2020; 7(2): 11-14.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.24321/2349.7181.202006

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Published
2020-10-29