Sjögren's syndrome (SS) is the result of an abnormal immune response in the body that leads to the destruction of exocrine glands, primarily the ocular and salivary glands, resulting in xerophthalmia and xerostomia. We describe a case of a 55-year-old female who presented to the clinic with abnormal liver function tests, identified on routine blood work. After an extensive workup, the patient was diagnosed with autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) and SS. AIH occurs in a small number of patients with primary SS, and there is little research available on the overlap of these two autoimmune disorders. In this report, we will present some of the challenges in diagnosing AIH and identifying SS as the underlying diagnosis. Because of the ambiguous clinical picture, diagnosis of AIH can be difficult, especially in the setting of concomitant autoimmune disorders.
Keywords: abnormal liver function test; anti-ro/ssa; autoimmune hepatitis; autoimmune syndromes; sjögren’s syndrome.
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