"Nonalcoholic" chronic hepatitis in the alcoholic.

Ten alcoholic patients with biopsy proved chronic active or chronic persistent hepatitis were observed. In each patient, the responsible etiological agent appeared to be ethanol. Laboratory abnormalities could be distinguished statistically from those in a group of 121 patients with alcoholic hepatitis by their higher SGPT (262 +/- 139 versus 62 +/- 7 U per ml, P is less than 0.01), lower ratio of SGOT:SGPT (1.96 +/- 0.34 versus 4.71 +/- 0.40, P is less than 0.01), and lower white blood cell count 5,833 +/- 763 versus 10,370 +/- 742, P is less than 0.01). However, the overlap between the groups was sufficiently large that without histological confirmation the correct diagnosis was in doubt for any given patient.