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. 2021 Aug 28;27(32):5376–5391. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v27.i32.5376

Table 2.

Differential diagnosis and suggested investigations

System Differential diagnosis Investigations
Drug-induced liver injury (1) Other co-administered anti-cancer drugs; (2) Alcohol related liver disease; and (3) Acetaminophen toxicity Medication history
Tumor-related Metastatic disease Abdominal imaging with ultrasound, CT or MRCP
Infectious (1) Sepsis; (2) Acute HAV infection; (3) Acute HBV or flare of chronic HBV; (4) Chronic HCV; (5) Acute HEV; (6) Acute CMV or reactivation; and (7) Acute EBV (1) Septic screen as appropriate; (2) Anti-HAV (IgM); (3) HBsAg, Anti-HBc IgG, IgM, ± HBV DNA; (4) Anti-HCV ± HCV RNA; (5) Anti-HEV (IgM); (6) CMV IgM and IgG ± CMV DNA; and (7) EBV IgM and IgG
Biliary disease (1) Cholecystitis; (2) Cholangitis; and (3) Pancreatitis (1) Abdominal imaging; and (2) Serum lipase
Autoimmune Autoimmune hepatitis1 ANA, Anti-SMA, Anti-LKM1, serum IgG levels
Musculoskeletal (1) Myositis (potentially an irAEs); and (2) Rhabdomyolysis Serum CK
Metabolic Underlying NASH (1) Metabolic risk factors; and (2) Abdominal imaging for hepatic steatosis
Vascular (1) Portal-vein/hepatic vein thrombosis; and (2) Ischemic hepatitis Abdominal imaging and clinical history
1

Although anti-nuclear antibodies is frequently positive at low-titres in IC (< 1:80), specific auto-antibodies seen in autoimmune hepatitis are usually negative.

ANA: Anti-nuclear antibodies; Anti-HBc: Anti-Hepatitis B core antibody; anti-LKM1: Anti-liver-kidney microsomal 1 antibody; Anti-SMA: Anti-smooth muscle antibody; CK: Creatine kinase; CMV: Cytomegalovirus; CT: Computed tomography; EBV: Epstein-Barr virus; HAV: Hepatitis A virus; HBsAg: Hepatitis B surface antigen; HBV: Hepatitis B virus; HCV: Hepatitis C virus; HEV: Hepatitis E virus; irAEs: Immune-related adverse events; MRCP: Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography; NASH: Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis.