Treatment of chronic hepatitis

Chronic hepatitis is an etiologically diverse syndrome. The approach to treatment depends on the cause of the disease. The efficacy of immunosuppressive treatment of chronic autoimmune hepatitis has long been established, and most patients with this disease can be treated successfully with prednisone and azathioprine. Interferon therapy has revolutionized the treatment of chronic viral hepatitis. Although the response in chronic hepatitis delta is disappointing, hepatitis C is often controlled, and certain patients with chronic hepatitis B may actually be cured of the disease. Future studies will seek to optimize the therapeutic effects of interferon in these viral diseases. Certainly, studies with other antiviral agents and biologic response modifiers are forthcoming. We have entered a new era in the treatment of chronic liver disease. It is reasonable to hope and expect that progress will continue and that most forms of chronic viral hepatitis will become curable within the next several years.