Treatment of patients with chronic hepatitis using ursodeoxycholic acid

We treated 82 patients of chronic hepatitis using 300 mg. of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) daily and observed them for a mean of 10 mo before and 16 mo after UDCA administration. Seven liver function tests (AST, ALT, ALP, LAP, GTP, Ch-E and T-cholest) were assessed monthly. The values were compared before and after the administration of UDCA. The AST, ALT, LAP and GTP improved significantly in the UDCA treated patients, whereas ALP, Ch-E and T-cholest. did not show any change throughout the study. Amongst the liver function tests that improved, the serum--GTP level, in particular decreased markedly and rapidly in patients treated with UDCA. Although UDCA 600-mg daily was administered in patients who showed lack of improvement with 300-mg UDCA treatment, no significant improvement was obtained. Repeated liver biopsies were carried out in six of the 42 patients in whom liver biopsy had been performed before the administration of UDCA. We detected no histological changes during the UDCA treatment. There were no side effects related to therapy with UDCA. In conclusion, we confirmed that UDCA is a safe and effective drug for treating patients with chronic hepatitis and may help in prevention of progression of the disease, particularly in patients with a high serum--GTP level.