mycophenolic-acid and Hypergammaglobulinemia

Autoimmune hepatitis is a chronic liver disease of unknown aetiology characterized by interface hepatitis, hypergammaglobulinaemia and circulating autoantibodies. In the last decade a number of advancements have been made in the field of clinical and basic research: the simplified diagnostic criteria, the complete response defined as normalization of transaminase levels, the molecular identification of the antigenic targets of anti-liver cytosol antibody type 1 and anti-soluble liver antigen, the detection of anti-actin antibodies, the description of de novo autoimmune hepatitis after liver transplantation for non-autoimmune liver diseases, the characterization of autoimmune hepatitis with overlapping features of primary biliary cirrhosis or primary sclerosing cholangitis, the preliminary experience with novel treatment strategies based on cyclosporine, mycophenolate mofetil and budesonide, the role played by "impaired" regulatory T cells and the development of novel animal models of autoimmune hepatitis.

Topics: Animals; Autoantibodies; Autoantigens; Biomarkers; Budesonide; Cholangitis, Sclerosing; Cyclosporine; Glucocorticoids; Hepatitis, Autoimmune; Humans; Hypergammaglobulinemia; Immunity, Cellular; Immunoglobulin G; Immunosuppressive Agents; Liver Cirrhosis, Biliary; Liver Transplantation; Mice; Mycophenolic Acid; Rats; Transaminases

IgG4 is a newly known systemic disorder. It can present as orbital inflammation or as an orbital mass. We describe the case of a 5-year-old child with proptosis and globe dystopia who went on to have an orbital biopsy. Initially this was reported to be idiopathic orbital inflammation. After IgG4-RD was considered in the differential, the orbital biopsy was revisited, immunohistochemistry was done and the patient's serum was tested for IgG subclass levels. IgG4-RD was diagnosed and the patient was subsequently treated with prednisone and mycophenolate and made a good recovery. This is the youngest reported case of IgG4-RD in a child.

Topics: Child, Preschool; Diagnosis, Differential; Drug Therapy, Combination; Female; Humans; Hypergammaglobulinemia; Immunoglobulin G; Immunosuppressive Agents; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Mycophenolic Acid; Orbital Neoplasms; Orbital Pseudotumor; Plasma Cells; Prednisone; Tomography, X-Ray Computed