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.