Acute viral hepatitis: factors possibly predicting chronic liver disease

A number of clinical, biochemical, immunological and morphological variables were recorded at first admission of 500 consecutive patients with biopsy verified acute viral hepatitis in the period February 1969-June 1972. In February 1973, 28 of these patients had a morphologically documented chronic liver disease: 4 cirrhosis of the liver, 15 chronic aggressive hepatitis, and 9 chronic persistent hepatitis. 74 patients were followed up until morphological normalization took place. The initially recorded variables in the two groups were compared, and the following factors were significantly higher in the group with subsequent development of chronic liver disease:--frequency of drug addicts, median of the highest gammaglobulin, ANA, SMA, partial destruction of the limiting membrane, incidence of piecemeal necrosis, and pronounced plasma cell infiltration in the portal tracts. These preliminary results suggest that factors in the initial phase of acute viral hepatitis can be helpful to some extent in predicting the course and prognosis of the disease.