Corticosteroid Therapy for Chronic Active Hepatitis

Editorials1 October 1976Corticosteroid Therapy for Chronic Active HepatitisPAUL D. BERK, M.D., F.A.C.P., E. ANTHONY JONES, M.D., M.R.C.P., PAUL H. PLOTZ, M.D., F.A.C.P., LEONARD B. SEEFF, M.D., ELIZABETH C. WRIGHT, M.P.H.PAUL D. BERK, M.D., F.A.C.P.Search for more papers by this author, E. ANTHONY JONES, M.D., M.R.C.P.Search for more papers by this author, PAUL H. PLOTZ, M.D., F.A.C.P.Search for more papers by this author, LEONARD B. SEEFF, M.D.Search for more papers by this author, ELIZABETH C. WRIGHT, M.P.H.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-85-4-523 SectionsAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ExcerptThe question of whether corticosteroid drugs should be prescribed arises each time a patient's liver disease is diagnostically labeled chronic active hepatitis. Early reports of the use of these drugs in symptomatic patients suggested a beneficial effect, but the studies were uncontrolled. During the past decade four controlled trials—two from London (1, 2), one from Copenhagen (3), and an ongoing study at the Mayo Clinic (4-7)—have been conducted to examine the validity of the earlier reports. The published reports of each of these four trials suggested that the side effects of corticosteroid therapy, with or without concomittant azathioprine, were more...References1. COOK G, MULLIGAN R, and SHERLOCK S: Controlled prospective trial of corticosteroid therapy in active chronic hepatitis. Q J Med 40:159-185, 1971 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar2. MURRAY-LYON I, STERN R, and WILLIAMS R: Controlled trial of prednisone and azathioprine in active chronic hepatitis. Lancet 1:735-737, 1973 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. : Sex, ascites and alcoholism in survival of patients with cirrhosis. Effect of prednisone. N Engl J Med 291:271-273, 1974 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. SOLOWAY R, SUMMERSKILL W, and BAGGENSTOSS A: Clinical, biochemical, and histological remission of severe chronic active liver disease: a controlled study of treatments and early prognosis. Gastroenterology 63:820-833, 1972 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. BAGGENSTOSS A, SOLOWAY R, and SUMMERSKILL W: Chronic active liver disease. The range of histologic lesions, their response to treatment and evolution. Hum Pathol 3:183-198, 1972 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar6. AMMON H, SUMMERSKILL W, and BAGGENSTOSS A: Initial morphologic appearances determine responses to treatment of chronic active liver disease (CALD); a prospective study (abstract). Gastroenterology 65:A2/526, 1973 Google Scholar7. SUMMERSKILL W, KORMAN M, and AMMON H: Prednisone for chronic active liver disease: dose titration, standard dose, and combination with azathioprine compared. Gut 16:876-883, 1975 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar8. HENLEY K and APPELMAN H: The fading menace of chronic hepatitis (editorial). Ann Intern Med 82:840-841, 1975 LinkGoogle Scholar9. DE GROOTE J, GEDICK P, and POPPER H: A classification of chronic hepatitis. Lancet 2:626-628, 1968 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar10. Diseases of the Liver and Biliary Tract: Standardization of Nomenclature, Diagnostic Criteria, and Diagnostic Methodology (Fogarty International Center Proceedings No. 22), edited by LEEVY CM, SHERLOCK S, POPPER H. DHEW Publication No. (NIH) 76-725. Washington, D.C., U.S. Government Printing Office, 1976 Google Scholar11. PLOTZ P: Asymptomatic chronic hepatitis (editorial). Gastroenterology 68:1629-1630, 1975 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar12. DUDLEY F, SCHEUER P, and SHERLOCK S: Natural history of hepatitis-associated antigen-positive chronic liver disease. Lancet 2:1388-1393, 1972 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar13. SCHALM S and SUMMERSKILL W: Special features of chronic active liver disease (CALD) associated with hepatitis B surface antigen (HBSAg). Paper presented at the 56th Annual Meeting, American College of Physicians, San Francisco, 1975 Google Scholar14. BECKER M, SCHEUER P, and BAPTISTA A: Prognosis of chronic persistent hepatitis. Lancet 1:53-57, 1970 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar This content is PDF only. To continue reading please click on the PDF icon. Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: PAUL D. BERK, M.D., F.A.C.P.; E. ANTHONY JONES, M.D., M.R.C.P.; PAUL H. PLOTZ, M.D., F.A.C.P.; LEONARD B. SEEFF, M.D.; ELIZABETH C. WRIGHT, M.P.H. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics Cited byImmunosuppressive Treatment of Chronic Liver DiseaseTreatment of chronic active hepatitisProblems in hemophilia therapyInfectious complications in the child with cancer. II. 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APPELMAN, M.D. 1 October 1976Volume 85, Issue 4Page: 523-525KeywordsChronic hepatitisClinical trial reportingCorticosteroid therapyDrug therapyDrugsHepatitis ALiver diseases ePublished: 1 December 2008 Issue Published: 1 October 1976 PDF downloadLoading ...