Back in 1988 or 89, I went to the University of Michigan Medical Center for tests. The best "theory" they came up with was that sometime when I was about 4 to 6 years old, I must have caught a viral infection (like the chicken pox) and that it made its way to my liver, causing damage before dying out. I do remember having chicken pox about that time, so it's possible that I've been having this condition for 30+ years.