Sign up for email alert when new content gets added: Sign up
Jacklyn So-Cabahug
Manila Doctors Hospital, Philippines
Posters & Accepted Abstracts: J Hepato Gastroenterol
Objective: This paper aims to describe a case of elevated AFP in a case of acute hepatitis and its pathophysiology Materials and Methods: Case report Results: The patient is a 26-year-old Asian male presenting with jaundice. He had no personal or family history of liver disease, occasional alcohol use, and drug or supplement use. The laboratory workup revealed hepatocellular type of liver injury (total bilirubin of 478 umol/L, direct bilirubin 401 umol/L, indirect bilirubin 77 umol/L, AST 1135 U/L, ALT 1592 U/L, LDH 53 U/L, ALP 139 u/L), elevated AFP (3337 IU/ml), elevated INR, positive autoimmune panel (ANA, Anti-Sm, Anti-TPO, Anti-TG). The serological examinations revealed a past infection with EBV and CMV, while imaging tests did not show ductal obstruction or the presence of mass lesions. A subsequent liver biopsy demonstrated interface hepatitis. The patient was then treated as a case of autoimmune hepatitis and was started on glucocorticoids with clinical and biochemical improvement including normalization of AFP levels. Conclusion: This study demonstrated the low specificity of AFP as it relates to these unusually elevated levels even as compared to other studies on non-malignant cases of liver disease. In this patient with acute hepatitis, AFP elevation may represent hepatic regeneration.
Jacklyn M. So-Cabahug is currently a fellow in the training of Gastroenterology at Manila Doctors Hospital in the Philippines. She received her undergraduate degree in Public Health from the University of the Philippines and her MD from the University of Santo Tomas. She completed her residency in internal medicine at Medical Center Manila. During this time, she dove head first in the field of research, getting both her papers published in the Philippine Journal of Internal Medicine. Dr. So-Cabahug started educating young students early in her career. She believes that encouraging the next generation of physicians to take an interest in research, paves the way for innovations with the endpoint of improving patient outcomes.
