[Autoimmune hepatitis in Tunisia. Retrospective multicenter study of 83 cases]. / L'hépatite auto-immune en Tunisie. Étude multicentrique rétrospective de 83 cas.

BACKGROUND: Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is a chronic inflammatory condition of the liver of unknown etiology. Its epidemiological and anatomoclinical characteristics and its outcome were unknown in Tunisia. AIM: To analyse epidemiological, anatomoclinical, immunological and histological aspects of AIH and to determine factors predicting relapse after treatment and death of this disease in Tunisia. METHODS: Patients presenting with AIH between January 1996 and December 2004 were evaluated in retrospective multicentric study. The diagnosis of AIH was established according to the criteria of the revised score of the international autoimmune hepatitis group (1999) RESULTS: Eighty three patients were identified (70 female; mean age=49+17.9 years). 63% presented probable AIH and 37% presented definite AIH. Thirty two percent presented with the acute pattern. Eighty three per cent of cases were type I AIH and 5 % of cases were type II HAI. Fifty seven percent of the patients were cirrhotic at presentation. Associated autoimmune diseases was seen in 27 patients, dominated by diabetes, autoimmune thyroiditis and Sjögren's syndrome. An overlap syndrome was diagnosed in 25% of cases; primary biliary Cirrhosis-AIH in 20% of cases and primary sclerosing cholangitis-AIH in 5% of cases. Fifty patients were treated by glucocorticoids as monotherapy or in combination with azathioprine. Complete remission was achieved in 90% of cases. Fourteen percent relapsed within a median time of 12 months. Factors associated with relapse were: treatment with Azathioprine<18 months, absence of lobular necrosis and anti-nuclear antibody (+) profile. Mortality was observed in 17 % of cases. Factors associated with death were encephalopathy as an independent factor and treatment with Azathioprine<18 months. CONCLUSION: In Tunisia, epidemiological and clinical characteristics of AIH were similar to those reported in the literature but with a higher frequency of cirrhosis at presentation. Treatment with Azathioprine < 18 months was the main factor associated with relapse and represented with encephalopathy a factor associated with death.

[Contribution of liver biopsy in intensive care unit. (180/2004)]. / Apport de la ponction biopsie du foie en milieu de réanimation.

AIM: Our aim was to evaluate the indications and contribution of liver biopsy (LB) in intensive care (ICU) and to compare them to those of LB in gastroenterology. METHODS: We included retrospectively 37 successive LB achieved in ICU and 38 successive LB achieved in gastroenterology. All data were reviewed by three intensivists and three gastroenterologists to determine the contribution of the LB. RESULTS: The indications of LB were different in the two units. The most frequent indications were cirrhosis (36.8%), isolated biological hepatic disruptions (26.3%) and histological classification of viral hepatitis (18.4%) in gastroenterology and isolated biological hepatic disruptions (48.6%), hepatopathy during pregnancy (27%) and fever of unknown origin (10.8%) in intensive care unit. According to the six reviewers, LB was enough contributive in the two units, (78.4% in ICU and 71.1% in gastroenterology -p=0.46-). It allowed to eliminate, to confirm, or to change a diagnosis in more than 70% of cases and allowed to modify the course of therapy in 21.6% of cases in ICU and in 26.3% of cases in gastroenterology (p-0.6). CONCLUSION: The LB is a feasible technique in ICU and can be as contributive as it is in gastroenterology.

[Intestinal Crohn disease: surgical aspects and predictive factors of risk of relapse. About 26 cases]. / Maladie de Crohn intestinale: aspects chirurgicaux et facteurs prédictifs de risque des récidives. A propos de 26 cas.

Crohn disease is an inflammatory bowel disease of which one cannot declare itself healed. It is a considerably invalidating disease, and surgery is necessary with more than 80% of patients during its long evolution. After a recent review of the literature, we wanted to contribute to the study of the predictive factors of risk of relapse among 26 patients operated for an intestinal Crohn disease during a period of 16 years, from 1986 till 2001. Sex ratio was 0.3 and average age was 33.9 years. Six patients only (23.1%) were known undergoing and treated for Crohn disease. Surgery was indicated urgently in 12 cases (46.2%). The gravity of urgently operated patients burdened the post-operative morbidity in 38.5% of cases of which 2 deaths. Six patients presented a post-operative relapse for an average delay of 40.8 months; among them 3 patients were operated. In our series, we noted that the relapse rate is more frequent with women that with men (42%/21%), and age does not intervene in the relapse contrary to smoking. The rate of relapses was so much more brought up that Crohn disease is former. The relapse was more frequent when the edge of section was sick (5/6). A post-operative medical treatment in the severe forms reduces the rate of relapses until 24%.