[Alcoholic hepatitis: prospective clinical study of 20 cases]

Twenty cases of alcoholic hepatitis were registered in a Gastroenterology Service during a two year span (from February 1980 to February 1982). The obstructive clinical pattern was predominant in an important number of the cases her reported. This is a remarkable situation for a clinical pathological correlationship to avoid indicating surgery for this type of patients. It is noticeable that the quantities and time of alcohol ingestion are below the levels indicated in medical papers used as reference. It is suggested that altitude hypoxia may be the cause for our patients being more liable to alcohol injury. Symptoms and laboratory findings were similar to the accepted patterns of reference works.