Autoimmune HepatitisAn Education of a Silent Disease

What Is It?

Autoimmune Hepatitis

• Inflammation of the liver that occurs when immune cells mistake the liver's normal cells for harmful invaders and attack them. -U.S. National Library of Medicine

Isn’t Lupus The Same Thing?

Anatomy

Normal Liver

Autoimmune Hepatitis Liver

Anatomy Cont’d

In the 1950’s Autoimmune Hepatitis was coined the “Women’s Disease” by Waldenstrom

Physiology

• Bruising easily• Fatigue• Nausea• Joint paint• Abdominal pain• Vomiting• Ascites• Encephalopathy• Coma• Death

Stigmas and The Faces of

Autoimmune Hepatitis“When you have autoimmune hepatitis, you do not call the

disease by its name. You say that your liver is being attacked by your immune system. The reason is that a lot of people recoil when they hear the word "hepatitis," assuming that you have been bingeing on alcohol or using intravenous drugs or both.” – Elizabeth Olsen, NY Times, June 2005

Many people both famous and those dear to us suffer in silence from autoimmune diseases for that reason…

Stigma Cont’d

Montel Williams

Former talk show host Montel Williams announced back in 1999 that he had multiple sclerosis, the autoimmune disease that impacts the brain and spinal cord. He then began an effort to raise awareness and funding for research, starting The Montel Williams Foundation. "When the neurologist said those three words -- 'You have MS' -- it hit me like a brick," Williams said on his website.

Stigma Cont’d

Venus Williams

In 2011, tennis superstar Venus Williams announced she has Sjogren's syndrome, telling the Associated Press that the disease sapped her energy and made it difficult for her to compete.With Sjogren's, a person's white blood cells attack their moisture-producing glands, leading to issues like dry eyes and dry mouth, according to the Sjogren's Syndrome Foundation, as well as more serous complications, including extreme fatigue. It is one of the most prevalent autoimmune disorders, the organization states, and nine out of 10 sufferers are women.

Stigma Cont’d

Kathleen Turner

I remember vividly finding out that I had arthritis," rheumatoid arthritis sufferer and actress Kathleen Turner told USA Today back in 2001. "I was on my way to my daughter's school for a meeting with her kindergarten teacher. All I could think about was how I would deal with it, how would I be a mother, how would I carry on?" But carry on she did, and Turner has since drawn attention to the painful autoimmune disease. For reasons not yet understood, it causes the body to attack its own tissues, particularly a thin membrane surrounding joints, the Arthritis Foundation reports.

Stigma Cont’d

Toni Braxton

Singer Toni Braxton lives with lupus, an autoimmune disorder that can impact a person's skin, joints, kidney, brain and other organs. Depending on what part of the body is affected, symptoms can include abdominal pain, patchy skin and serious fatigue.

Braxton revealed she had the disease in an episode of her reality TV show. According to the Daily Mail, Braxton's brother also has lupus and her uncle died from complications from the disease.

Stigma Cont’d

Missy Elliot

When rapper Missy Elliott fell out of the public eye a few years back, it was because she was quietly dealing with Graves' disease, according to USA Today. The autoimmune disease impacts the thyroid and can lead to goiter, fatigue, insomnia, eye problems and more.

Indeed, according to USA Today, Elliott's condition was so debilitating, the star couldn't write or drive a car.

Stigma Cont’d

Marisol Maldonado-Thomas

Marisol Maldonado- Thomas: model and wife to Rob Thomas of Matchbox 20 suffers from a rare autoimmune disorder similar to lupus.

Rob Thomas, who has been married to Marisol for 10 years, wrote a song dedicated to his wife called "Her Diamonds" which touches on a couple dealing with his wife's debilitating disease.

Therapy - Traditional

Therapy Holistic

America vs. Europe

• 0.1-1.2 cases of Autoimmune Hepatitis per 100,000 individuals in America

• 11-23% of people that have chronic liver disease have Autoimmune Hepatitis.

• Responsible for 6% of all liver transplants

• 11.6-16.9 cases per 100,000 persons in Western Europe.•Autoimmune Hepatitis is responsible for 3% of all liver transplants.

The End