Today's blog entry is written by our awesome summer intern, Jessica Naftaly. Since we love spreading awareness about rare diseases, we decided to post an additional rare diseases blog this month. May is hepatitis awareness month! Many assume that the ONLY way to be diagnosed with hepatitis is through drugs, drinking too much alcohol, or having unprotected sexual intercourse. Additionally, it is sometimes assumed that all types of hepatitis are contagious. All of these assumptions are untrue. One type of hepatitis called autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) occurs when the body attacks the liver causing inflammation. Snapshot: AIH is a chronic autoimmune liver condition in which healthy liver cells are mistaken for being foreign and are attacked. The body attacking itself leads to cirrhosis or inflammation of the liver. Overtime without treatment AIH can cause the need for a liver transplant due to liver failure. Although the cause of AIH is not researched well, other autoimmune dise
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