Simplified Autoimmune Hepatitis Score (Simplified AIH)

Soluble liver antigen (SLA) antibodies are highly specific for AIH (>95%). If ANA/SMA is negative but SLA is positive, treat as AIH.

IgG levels can be normal in up to 10-15% of AIH cases, especially in acute-onset disease. Do not rule out AIH solely on a normal IgG.

Typical features include interface hepatitis, emperipolesis (a lymphocyte within a hepatocyte), and hepatocyte rosetting.

Formed in 1992 to standardize the diagnosis of this heterogeneous disease. The group has led the transition from research-heavy criteria to the clinic-friendly scores used today.

Formerly known as "lupoid hepatitis," AIH was one of the first liver diseases shown to respond dramatically to immunosuppression, a discovery that changed the prognosis from near-certain death to normal life expectancy for most.