[Ineffectiveness of corticosteroids in cholestatic forms of chronic active hepatitis]

Four cases of chronic active hepatitis with cholestasis resembling primary biliary cirrhosis are reported. Two patients were women and two were men; their age ranged from 18 to 52 years. They had recurrent jaundice with pruritus, and, in two cases, xanthelasma or xanthomas. All patients had hyperbilirubinemia, a moderate increase in serum aspartate aminotransferase activity, an increase in serum alkaline phosphatase activity and immunoglobulins G levels. Hepatitis B surface antigen was present in one patient. Histological examination of the liver revealed active chronic hepatitis with cholestasis. Moderate doses of prednisone had no effect on clinical or biochemical signs in any of the patients.