Immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome as a cause of autoimmune hepatitis and acute liver failure.

Acute liver failure is a rare syndrome with high mortality and is often diagnosed late. Intensivist physicians play fundamental roles in the diagnostic suspicion and the management of the multiple-organic dysfunctions characteristic of this entity. Immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome is an entity that is characterized by the paradoxical worsening of the patient's previous condition, after the initiation of antiretrovirals, triggered against either pathogens present in the host or autoantigens. Autoimmune hepatitis has recently been described as one of these autoimmune manifestations. The authors report the first case with evolution to acute liver failure and death within a few days after the development of encephalopathy, review the cases of autoimmune hepatitis described and comment on the therapeutic possibilities in this context.