Background and Aims: In 1999, the diagnostic criteria of 
Autoimmune Hepatitis (AIH) have been revised by an 
international panel. This revised scoring system had a high 
diagnostic accuracy but was limited by its complexity. 
Subsequently, a simplified score has been proposed 
recently to enhance clinical practicability. The goal of this 
study was to compare the performance parameters of the 
revised and the simplified scores in Tunisian patients 
satisfying conventional pretreatment criteria for the 
diagnosis of AIH and other chronic liver diseases. 
Methods: Diagnostic scores were calculated using the 
revised and simplified criteria in patients with AIH, viral, 
cholestatic and metabolic chronic liver disease. The 
sensitivity, specificity, and predictability of each scoring 
system for the pretreatment diagnosis of AIH were 
determined. 
Results: Sixty-three patients were included. Of these, 19 
held a diagnosis of AIH, and 3 were identified with AIH
primary biliary cirrhosis overlap syndrome. The remaining 
41 patients had diagnoses of primary biliary cirrhosis 
(n=7), chronic hepatitis B (n=17), chronic hepatitis C 
(n=9), non alcoholic steatohepatitis (n=5) or primary  sclerosing cholangitis (n=3). The revised score had greater 
sensitivity for the diagnosis of AIH than the simplified 
score (100% versus 72.7%) as 5 patients diagnosed as AIH 
with the revised score were nondiagnostic by the simplified 
score. The simplified score had a higher specificity than the 
revised score (100% versus 94.8%) as 2 patients with non 
alcoholic steatohepatitis were ascribed a false diagnostic of 
AIH with the revised score. 
score (100% versus 72.7%) as 5 patients diagnosed as AIH 
with the revised score were nondiagnostic by the simplified 
score. The simplified score had a higher specificity than the 
revised score (100% versus 94.8%) as 2 patients with non 
alcoholic steatohepatitis were ascribed a false diagnostic of 
AIH with the revised score.