[Therapy of chronic non-A, non-B hepatitis].

Before establishing the diagnosis of chronic active hepatitis (CAH) non-A-non-B other diseases have to be excluded, like toxic hepatitis (alcohol, drugs), immunological forms (autoimmune hepatitis, primary biliary cirrhosis), and metabolically caused hepatitis (hemochromatosis, Wilson's disease), since for some of these patients specific therapeutic procedures are available. History of the disease and repeated evaluation of control biopsies performed about every 9 to 12 months help in deciding about therapy. Chronic persisting hepatitis non-A-non-B and the mild form of CAH non-A-non-B do not need treatment but only diagnostic follow-up. Patients with apparent clinical disease, increased transaminases and histologically typical findings in at least two biopsies may be looked at as suitable for drug treatment. Since this disease is probably caused by virus, immunosuppressive therapy in this small group of patients described above has to be temporarily limited and should not be used as long term treatment.