Hi Preethi, I am so sorry to hear about your Mother-in-law s condition. Before answering your question, I would like a couple of clarifications. You said possible autoimmune hepatitis (AIH). How was it diagnosed? Were there any blood tests done to confirm it? and was a liver biopsy ever done?. I ask this because if the cirrhosis is not due to auto-immune hepatitis, then steroids will not be of any benefit. Provided the diagnosis is confirmed to be AIH, then she has already reached the cirrhotic stage with portal hypertension (fluid in belly). At this juncture you should start thinking about a liver transplant for your mother-in-law, provided her physical status is good. The transplant will not only get rid of the old diseased liver and replace it with a new one, but also the immune-suppressive medications prescribed after transplant will keep the AIH at bay. I am sure there is a good reason why your hepatologist has not already suggested this to you. In case she is not a transplant candidate, then in addition to steroids there are other medications which can control AIH. Drugs like azathioprine, cyclophosphamide and tacrolimus have been used for treating steroid resistant AIH. But these drugs have the potential to cause severe side effects and hence have to be used only under close supervision. Hope this helps and please do not hesitate to contact me for further clarifications especially regarding centers which offer liver transplant - rxsuresh@gmail.com