Case Report
Two Fatty Liver Conditions Masquerading as
Autoimmune Hepatitis
Jonathan David Hendrie ,
1
Mary Crouse Blumer ,
1
Hubert Henry Fenton,
2
and Gary Anthony Abrams
3
1
Prisma Health-Upstate, University of South Carolina School of Medicine-Greenville, Department of Medicine, 701 Grove Rd.,
Greenville, SC 29605, USA
2
Prisma Health-Upstate, Department of Pathology, 701 Grove Rd., Greenville, SC 29605, USA
3
Prisma Health-Upstate, University of South Carolina School of Medicine-Greenville Department of Medicine,
Division of Gastroenterology & Liver Center, 890 W. Faris Rd., Suite 100, Greenville, SC 29605, USA
Correspondence should be addressed to Jonathan David Hendrie; jonathan.hendrie125@gmail.com
Received 16 August 2020; Revised 28 January 2021; Accepted 2 March 2021; Published 9 March 2021
Academic Editor: Haruki Komatsu
Copyright © 2021 Jonathan David Hendrie et al. is is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons
AttributionLicense,whichpermitsunrestricteduse,distribution,andreproductioninanymedium,providedtheoriginalworkis
properly cited.
Acute fatty liver of pregnancy (AFLP) is a rare obstetric condition that classically presents in the third trimester or early
postpartumperiodandcanleadtoliverfailureanddeath.OnlysixsecondtrimesterAFLPcaseshavebeenreportedintheEnglish
literature.WepresenttheearliestcaseofAFLPat15weeksofgestationconfoundedbyahightiteranti-nuclearantibody(ANA
>1:1280)andconcernforautoimmunehepatitis.Ourpatienthadintrauterinefetaldemisewithpromptdilationandevacuation.
Sepsis and multisystem organ failure ensued, and she was transferred to a liver transplant center where she expired without
further intervention.
1. Introduction
Acute fatty liver of pregnancy (AFLP) is a rare and po-
tentially fatal condition characterized by microvesicular
steatosis and liver failure. e pathophysiology remains
unclear,butresearchhasimplicateddefectivemitochondrial
fatty acid oxidation as a contributing factor. AFLP typically
presents in the third trimester or early postpartum period,
but rare cases have been described in the second trimester
[1–6].DiagnosisisusuallybasedontheSwanseacriteria[7]
in conjunction with serologic and biochemical testing al-
though liver biopsy can be performed under certain cir-
cumstances. Treatment involves early diagnosis, prompt
fetal delivery, and intensive supportive care with recovery
expected over the ensuing days to weeks [8].
2. Case Report
A41-year-oldgravida4para2patientat15weeksand5days
of gestation (based on ultrasound) presented to an outside
hospital with decreased appetite and severe vomiting. She
had WHO class III obesity (BMI 45.1kg/m
2
) but was oth-
erwisehealthy.Initiallaboratorytestsshowedawhiteblood
cell count (WBC) 14 k/µL, hemoglobin (Hgb) 13.7g/dL,
platelets (PLT) 354 k/µL, normal blood smear, aspartate
aminotransferase(AST)354IU/L,alanineaminotransferase
(ALT) 574 IU/L, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) 125 IU/L, and
total bilirubin (TB) 4.8mg/dL. Abdominal ultrasound and
magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography showed
hepatic steatosis, pericholecystic fluid, and gallbladder wall
thickening. Further workup revealed a positive anti-nuclear
Hindawi
Case Reports in Hepatology
Volume 2021, Article ID 8820350, 5 pages
https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/8820350