Autoimmune hepatitis: the role of environmental risk factors: a population-based study

The etiology of autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) likely involves a complex interaction of genetic and environmental factors. We aim to investigate the associations between exposure to putative environmental factors and AIH and to quantify AIH risk in a first-degree relative. We conducted a population-based case-control study. Cases were AIH patients who were alive and resided in Canterbury, New Zealand, between 1 July 2011 and 30 June 2012. Controls were randomly selected from the Electoral Roll and were matched 2:1 to each case by age and gender. Self-reporting questionnaires that cover lifestyle factors, childhood factors and family history were used. 72 AIH cases and 144 controls were included. We found that exposure to antibiotics within 12 months prior to AIH diagnosis (OR 12.98, 95 % CI 2.49–67.67, p