Case Report

Autoimmune Cholangitis Presented as Fever of Unknown Origin
Constantinos Petrogiannopoulos^a, Konstantinos Papamichael^a, Georgios Karachalios^a, Iris Karachaliou^a, Nikolaos Kostakos^a, Kalypso Barbati^b, Antonios Zacharof<sup>a

a</sup>2nd Department of Internal Medicine and
^bDepartment of Pathologoanatomy, Hellenic Red Cross Hospital, Athens, Greece

Address of Corresponding Author

Chemotherapy 2006;52:282-284 (DOI: 10.1159/000095958)

  Key Words

• Autoimmune cholangitis
• Fever, unknown origin

  Abstract

Autoimmune cholangitis is a rare chronic cholestatic liver disease. Fever of unknown origin is defined as a temperature higher than 38.3°C that lasts for more than 3 weeks with no obvious source despite appropriate investigation. We describe the case of a 62-year-old woman who presented with fever, fatigue and weight loss. The serum biochemical study showed an increase in alkaline phosphatase and -glutamyl transpeptidase levels. Antinuclear, antimitochondrial, anti-smooth-muscle antibodies and antibodies against the cytoplasm of neutrophils were negative. Liver biopsy was compatible with autoimmune cholangitis. The patient was successfully treated with methylprednisolone and ursodeoxycholic acid. We describe here a rare case of fever as preceding and leading symptom of autoimmune cholangitis.

Copyright © 2006 S. Karger AG, Basel

  Author Contacts

K. Papamichael
2nd Department of Internal Medicine, Hellenic Red Cross Hospital
Riga Fereou 26, N. Psyhiko
GR-15451 Athens (Greece)
Tel. +30 210 671 5848, Fax +30 210 746 2554, E-Mail Kpapamdoc@yahoo.gr

  Article Information

Received: May 3, 2005
Accepted after revision: September 5, 2005
Published online: September 27, 2006
Number of Print Pages : 3
Number of Figures : 1, Number of Tables : 2, Number of References : 12