Genetic predisposition to autoimmune hepatitis

Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is a chronic inflammatory liver disease of unknown etiology. Abnormalities in cytokine production or in genes located outside the histocompatibility complex may be associated with the susceptibility and mechanism of hepatocyte lysis in this fatal autoimmune disease. Serum levels of IL-6 and IL-8, IL-23 and INF-¿ and TNF-¿ were significantly elevated in patients, a significant and positive association was found for the TNF-¿ polymorphism (A/A -308) which was associated with elevated TNF expression levels in serum, The A/A genotypes of IL-10-1082 polymorphism, G/G +49 CTLA4 and T/T of SH2B3 gene, were reported to be involved in the increased susceptibility of HAI, The polymorphisms of INF-¿, CTLA4 (C/T-318) and (G/A -CT60), TGF-¿ and STAT4 were not associated with susceptibility to HAI in Tunisian patients.Therapeutic approaches based on the manipulation of predisposing genes or anti-TNF¿ antibodies would have a role in the favorable evolution of the disease in the long term and limit mortality, transplantation or hepatocarcinoma rates.