[Alcoholic hepatitis: clinical, laboratorial and histological study of 50 cases]

The clinical, laboratorial and histological aspects of 50 cases of alcoholic hepatitis were analysed, as well as the follow-up of 24 patients. The mean age of the 50 patients was 42,9 years (range: 25 to 65 years); 44 were males. The beginning of the symptomatology was insidious in great number of cases. The hepatomegaly was most habitual clinical signal (92% of cases). The jaundice was observed in 58% of the cases. Twenty six per cent of the patients had not manifestation of advanced hepatopaty at the moment of diagnosis. The most constant laboratorial alteration (except the increase of gama-glutamil-transpeptidase, dosed in rare cases) was the increase of SGOT (94%). Histological examination showed necrosis and inflammatory exudate in all cases; steatosis in 98%; Mallory bodies in 78%; fibrosis in 84%; cirrhosis in 44%. In the group of patients that came to the obit at the first internation, jaundice, digestive bleeding, encephalopathy, infection, leucocitosis and decreased prothrombin activity. The follow-up of 24 cases (3 months to 5 years) showed aggravation of illness and frequent evolution to cirrhosis in patient that maintained the alcohol ingestion.