Remission of active chronic hepatitis after treatment with cyclophosphamide and prednisolone. Report of four cases.

Abstract

A description is given of four patients with active chronic hepatitis, all of whom were treated with prednisolone and cyclophosphamide. In all the patients diagnosis was established by the finding of a clinical picture of hepatic dysfunction associated with abnormal results of biochemical tests of liver function, evidence of disturbed immunity mechanisms and liver biopsy. After treatment all four patients made a clinical recovery. Three eventually had normal serum tests for liver function, normal bromsulphthalein excretion tests and normal histology in their needle liver biopsies. The fourth patient has shown considerable improvement in her serum tests of liver function, but she has been treated for a much shorter period than the others. Her test results are still improving. It is concluded that the combination of prednisolone and cyclophosphamide therapy is a satisfactory one for active chronic hepatitis, and probably superior to other therapeutic measures based upon the suppression of autoimmune mechanisms.