Triggering factors for acute liver failure in patients with first manifestation of autoimmune hepatitis: a single center experience of 368 patients

Introduction: Acute liver failure (ALF) in patients with autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is a severe and life threatening disease. The aim of our study was to clarify triggering factors which may induce ALF in patients with first manifestation of AIH. Patients and method: We analyzed 368 patients who were treated in our department between 1988 and 2013 for AIH. However, 34 of these 368 patients (9.2%) fulfilled the criteria of acute liver failure defined by the German “Acute Liver Failure Study Group”. All patients who presented “acute-on-chronic” or “acute-on-cirrhosis” liver failure were excluded. Results: The majo…