Abstract
Qat chewing is a long standing social-cultural habit in Yemen and East Africa. It has multiple adverse health effects including liver injury. We reported three male patients from Yemen with autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) associated with qat chewing. Two of them had advanced cirrhosis at diagnosis and all of them had positive immune profile for type1 AIH. Treatment with Prednisolone and Azathioprine results in remission in the three patients.
In conclusion: Qat chewing may be a risk factor for AIH that responds well to treatment, but more data is needed for understanding this association.