الفهرس 
Racial, sexual, and age-related differences in incidenceOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is a progressive inflammatory liver disease, where impaired immunological tolerance against hepatocytes leading to the destruction of hepatic parenchyma ( Ylinen et al., 2017). The disease is characterized by clinical, histological and immunological features and generally includes circulating autoantibodies and a high level of immunoglobulin G (IgG) ( Krawitt, 2006).Although the etiology of AIH is unknown, both genetic and environmental factors are involved in its expression (Liu et al., 2013). The strongest genetic associations are found within genes of the human leukocyte antigen (HLA). HLA DRB 1 positive patients are more likely to have AIH than other patients (Czaja et al., 2008). The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of HLA-DRB1 in Egyptian children with autoimmune hepatitis as a risk factor for its occurrence. This study was conducted on forty children with AIH diagnosed according to The Revised International Autoimmune Hepatitis group (IAIHG) Modified Scoring System (Alvarez et al., 1999). Their ages ranged from 3 years to 14 years. Children were recruited from those attending the Pediatric Hepatology Clinics of both Tanta and Mansoura University Hospitals. Fifty two healthy controls with matched age and gender were included in this work for assessment of HLA Typing. The study started from October 2014 to December 2017. All participants included in this study were subjected to the following: A- Full clinical history and physical examination. B- Laboratory investigations : Complete blood count included hemoglobin concentration, white and platelets cell counts. Liver function tests included serum bilirubin (total and direct), serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and aspartate aminotransferase (AST), serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP), serum gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT), serum albumin and prothrombin time (PT). Measurement of total serum immunoglobulin G ( IgG) levels. Detection of serum autoantibodies included serum antinuclear antibodies (ANA), anti- smooth muscle antibodies (ASMA) and anti- liver/kidney microsome type 1( LKM-1). C- Histopathological examination: Liver biopsy specimens were obtained from patients, and histopathological examination was interpreted in according to The (IAIHG) Modified Scoring System (Alvarez et al., 1999) . - HLA-DRB1 Typing by PCR Technique.