Recurrence of autoimmune hepatitis after liver transplantation without elevation of alanine aminotransferase.

It is controversial whether steroid therapy should be continued to prevent the recurrence of autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) in patients who have undergone liver transplantation (LTx) due to AIH. We report a case of recurrent autoimmune hepatitis after LTx despite a persistently normal range of alanine aminotransferase (ALT). A 50-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital because of jaundice and severe liver dysfunction, where she was diagnosed with liver failure due to AIH. Steroid therapy was not effective enough and the patient received living-donor LTx in 1999. Following the operation, the level of ALT was maintained within a normal range and anti-nuclear antibody (ANA) became negative, however, the serum level of IgG gradually elevated and ANA became positive, while platelets decreased. A liver biopsy performed 6 years after LTx showed histological findings of AIH and she was diagnosed with recurrent AIH. A recurrence of AIH may occur after LTx even if the level of ALT remains within a normal range. We consider that a protocol liver biopsy should be performed in patients who undergo LTx due to AIH to decide the indication for steroid therapy.