Sulphasalazine treatment in hepatitis B virus (HBV) associated chronic active hepatitis (CAH)--a pilot study.

The optimum treatment of chronic active hepatitis (CAH) is unknown. Various immunosuppressive agents have been used in the past. The use of prednisolone has been found to be beneficial in patients with severe chronic active hepatitis. The criteria for treatment remain uncertain. Long term follow-up of chronic active hepatitis of moderate severity treated with prednisolone showed that hepatitis B virus (HBV) associated chronic active hepatitis progressed more frequently to cirrhosis than non HBV associated chronic active hepatitis treated in the same way. Another study showed that HBV associated CAH of severe degree responded less well 10 prednisolone than non HBV associated CAH but patients so treated had a better chance of survival than control patients. A more recent paper has implied that treatment of HBV associated CAH with prednisolone was positively harmful.