A CASE OF NONALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE WITH LATENT AUTOIMMUNE THYROIDITIS DIFFERENTIATED FROM AUTOIMMUNE HEPATITIS BY LAPAROSCOPY AND LIVER BIOPSY

A 35-year-old male had undergone a routine medical check-up three years previously. Liver dysfunction was found and fatty liver was diagnosed by ultrasonography. Positive antinuclear antibody and IgG elevation led to a diagnosis of autoimmune hepatitis, and treatment was started. We describe here our experience of this case of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease with latent autoimmune thyroiditis that was diagnosed on the basis of laparoscopic examinations and liver biopsy. When autoimmune hepatitis is suspected, it is important to consider the possibility of thyroid disease, including latent autoimmune thyroiditis, and to perform laparoscopic examinations for precise diagnosis of the liver disease.