smooth possible antibody - positive for autoimmune hepa***

I recently had a positive result with the smooth muscle antibody which may indicate autoimmune hepatitis. Did anyone have a similar result and/or suffer with chronic hepatitis as a result of Sjogren's. All of my labs plus lip biopsy came back negative but I have many symptoms of Sjogren's and this appears to be another one.

I'd appreciate any info that you have. Seeing a gastro soon.

I haven't heard of a hepatitis / Sjogren's connection, but I have only a minor form of Sjogren's. I hope someone else will come along and be able to help you out -- but this isn't a very active forum.

lgail,

Have you had your ANA and liver panel checked?  What has your doc said about it?  Have you seen any specialists?  I would definitely look into the AIH (autoimmune hep) side.  If that is what you have then you need to check your LFTs (liver function tests).  It's a fully treatable disease. 

Once you have one autoimmune disease, you are predisposed to acquiring more.  Most people have more than one.  They just don't show up at the same time but you should always be aware of new symptoms and bring them up with your doctors.

Hi Lgail,

Since your positive ANA is so slight and you don't have elevated LFTs, if they do diagnose you with AIH, my guess would be that they won't start you on treatment yet.  There are some who don't need treatment but you do need to be monitored in case your LFTs do get higher.  Then you can avoid liver damage.  I think they would want to keep you off the meds until you really need them.

I just looked up dysautonomia...interesting.  I have excessive thirst, dizziness (I can be sitting in a chair and the room just spins) and orthostatic hypotension.  So maybe lumped together I may be positive for that and I have always thought they are just what's normal for me?  That would explain a lot.  I'll bring it up with my doc the next time I see her.

Let us know what happens with the specialist.

Wow I am in the middle of about the same thing as you. I have had an extended illness after a surgery with super bad complications. I have always had auto immune problems so has my family and it is assumed that since I was so critically ill it must have really brought out what ever underlying things I had going on because I have had some of these symptoms for years just not to this degree. Right now though post all of the complications post June 1st surg it was to be routine gallbladder surg but when he got in there it was 4x norm size I had huge hernia that my intestines were knotted around and stones in my appendix. I had been so ill I became severely malnutritioned which wasn't correctly watched dispite my pleas and I ended up in the hosp a total of 22 days in June but the complications have not stopped. I have severe joint pain now mainly in my right hand but now it is going into my left and my knees hurt now too. I still swell quite badly which was one of the reasons I ended up in the hosp so long for a condition called Anasarca due to protein malnutrition my albumin dropped to 1.8 and I was in congestive heart failure it was a mess. My mouth is indescribably dry or something I have very little taste my eyes are dry I am so disoriented most of the time and extremely forgetful. I will be bald within a month or two. I only wish I was exaggerating. I kept telling my docs about my symptoms but for some reason I seemed to only irritate them, like they were mad at me for being in pain and not getting better. In fact for getting worse or getting different pain or symptoms. I asked for an ANA and she rolled her eyes but it came back positive 1:320 then she started paying a little closer attention. All the other tests came back normal but she sent me to a rheum. He is GREAT he did some blood work as I am post gastric bypass 9 years and my malnutrition was 2 days away from killing me and he said it could merely be that I am just still struggling to rebuild but his came back that my vit D is very low only a 15, also my calcium is low and my liver enzymes are elevated. Which my liver enzymes have been elevated for quite some time and I keep asking doctors about it because when nurses go over stuff with you when you go to a hosp they always mention it liver damage to me but I always say not that I know of because no doc has every said anything to me but I have ordered my results before and there is some finding on like ultrasounds and ct scans and stuff. I used to work for the hospital in one of the dr offices. It is really a very ugly sad story but unimportant. Anyway he is checking me for AIH and to see if my parathyroids are ok because I don't have a thyroid anymore I had Hashimotos disease. I have fatigue I can't describe except to say even my organs feel tired most of the time. I can't say how my life has changed. I am supposed to have an endoscopy and colonoscopy next tues to see if there is some sort of leak caused from the surg in June but I am scared and I am TIRED and I don't know if I should have it.
What symptoms do you have of AIH did your doctor think you have it. I am kind of freaked out about it. I don't want to have it but at this point I think I can deal with the diagnosis if I can just start on a cure. I am so worried about being bald. I think I am going to start looking for a wig while I still have some hair so it is not as traumatic for me to go when I am completely bald. I don't know. It is just a nightmare that I want to wake up from and start healing.