A recent systematic review and meta-analysis presented at the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (NASPGHAN) 2023 Annual Meeting in San Diego indicates that immunosuppressive therapy can enhance native liver survival in children with autoimmune hepatitis who are experiencing acute liver failure.
The study revealed that a combined treatment of corticosteroids and immunomodulators is linked to improved rates of native liver survival in pediatric patients suffering from acute liver failure due to autoimmune hepatitis. This could guide clinicians towards interventions that might eliminate the need for liver transplants in younger patients. Dr. Harry Sutton, from the Toronto Hospital for Sick Children, emphasized that children initially presenting with autoimmune hepatitis in acute liver failure have a significantly better chance of native liver survival when treated with a combination of corticosteroids and immunosuppressive treatment.