Advancements in medicine and technology have allowed scientists to discover new diseases as well as treatments for some. Autoimmune hepatitis is one of the diseases for which no cure is available. In 1950, Waldenström discovered autoimmune hepatitis in young women (Wolf). Originally called lupoid hepatitis, lupus was thought to cause autoimmune hepatitis (Frey, Longe, and Ricker). If symptoms of AIH are detected early, treatment for better quality of life can be achieved with medication rather than transplantation. The second largest organ in the human body is the liver. It weighs on average 3 kilos. It filters harmful substances from the blood and converts what we eat and drink into energy the body can use (American Liver Foundation). The liver is a vital organ of the human body, almost as important as the heart. Autoimmune hepatitis is a potentially fatal form. liver inflammation, in which the body's immune system attacks liver cells, causing scarring otherwise known as cirrhosis, liver failure and, if not detected in time, transplantation (staff from the Mayo Clinic). “Scientists do not know why the body attacks itself in this way, although heredity and previous infections may play a role” (American Liver Foundation). AIH type 1 is the most classic case. It can occur at any age and often develops very quickly. Type 2 is less common and is found mainly in young women (American Liver Foundation). Type 3 occurs in adults between the ages of thirty and fifty (Frey, Longe, and Ricker). Type 1 is often accompanied by other autoimmune diseases. Type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, Graves' disease, Sjögren's syndrome, and inflammatory bowel syndrome are also commonly seen in patients with autoimmune hepatitis (PubMed Health). About 70 percent of p...... middle of paper ......r, J. Ricker, MD. “Autoimmune hepatitis.” The Scabies Encyclopedia of Medicine. Detroit: Gale, 2009. Academic OneFile. Internet. November 15, 2011. Mayo Clinic Staff. “Autoimmune Hepatitis” Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. 1998-2011. Internet. November 20, 2011. Nabili, Siamak T. “Liver Blood Tests” MedicineNet, Inc. Ed. William C. Shiel Jr. 1996-2011. Internet. 28 November 2011. “Canberra Hospital research reports new findings on autoimmune hepatitis.” » Hepatitis Weekly May 31, 2010: 19. Academic OneFile. Internet. November 15, 2011. Wolf, David C. and Unnithan V. Raghuraman. “Autoimmune hepatitis”. Medscape reference. Ed. Julien Katz. WebMD LLC, 2011. Web. November 28, 2011. Yeoman, AD, MS Longhi and MA Heneghan. “Review article: Modern management of autoimmune hepatitis.” Food Pharmacology and Therapeutics 31.8 (2010): 771-787. MEDLINE with full text. Internet. December 1. 2011.