[Clinical and pathological analysis of primary biliary cirrhosis-autoimmune hepatitis overlap syndrome].

OBJECTIVE

To explore clinical and histopathological characteristics of primary biliary cirrhosis-autoimmune hepatitis overlap syndrome.

METHODS

Clinical data and pathological findings of 10 patients were reviewed.

RESULTS

Serum glutamine transpeptidase,alkaline phosphatase levels,alanine transaminase, aspartate transaminase, serum IgG and IgM were elevated in all the patients. They were all positive for anti-mitochondrial antibody and AMA-M2. Nine patients were positive for anti-nuclear antibody and one patient was positive for anti liver-kidney microsome antibody. Liver biopsies in these patients revealed: ten patients had bile duct lesion,hepatitis activities ranged from moderate to severe, and fibrosis ranged from S1 to S3.

CONCLUSION

PBC-AIH overlap syndrome is mostly found in middle-aged women. It has the clinical and histopathological characteristics of both PBC and AIH. Accurate and prompt diagnosis of overlap syndrome patients should be based on the clinical presentation,biochemical and immune indexes,and hepatic pathological changes.