Prednisone
Prednisone is a primary corticosteroid [3] which is usually the first treatment approach for autoimmune hepatitis. Once you have been diagnosed with autoimmune hepatitis your doctor will immediately administer prednisone to you at a high dosage to help control inflammatory flare-ups. As your symptoms improve, your dosage reduces.
Corticosteroids are used to suppress inflammatory genes that have been activated by a disease like autoimmune hepatitis. Prednisone is an effective treatment for the condition and is also recommended in case of a relapse.
According to 2017 research, the mortality rate of someone treated with prednisone was about 5 percent. This confirms that the steroid is a highly effective treatment. However, certain side effects come with prednisone and similar corticosteroids, these include:
- Insomnia [4]
- Weight gain
- Mood changes
- Increase in blood glucose level
- Bone loss
Another corticosteroid, budesonide, may also be used to treat autoimmune hepatitis. Although, there is not enough research on it, may be similarly effective and have fewer side effects.