Clinical features of Japanese type 1 autoimmune hepatitis patients with zone III necrosis

Aim:  In Caucasians in northern Europe and North America, type 1 autoimmune hepatitis is characterized by susceptibility to human leukocyte antigens DR3 and DR4, and patients with zone III necrosis more frequently have an acute onset of the disease and a lower frequency of cirrhosis than those without. In Japanese patients, however, type 1 autoimmune hepatitis is primarily associated with DR4, and there are almost no DR3‐positive patients. Thus, the clinical features of Japanese patients with type 1 autoimmune hepatitis and zone III necrosis may be different from those reported previously for Caucasians.