Chronic active hepatitis in Italy: a multicentric study on clinical and laboratory data of 1154 cases. A report from the study group for CAH of the Italian Association for the Study of the Liver.

We retrospectively reviewed the clinical and laboratory data of 1154 patients with biopsy-proven CAH observed in 12 Italian referral liver units. The data obtained at the time of hospitalization were recorded and computerized. The data were analyzed for the presence or absence of HBsAg, sex, classes of age and three different degrees of the histological severity of CAH (mild, severe, with cirrhosis). HBsAg was present in 700 patients (61%). As compared with HBsAg negative patients HBsAg positive patients were younger, showed higher values of aminotransferases, were more frequent males and less frequently showed histological evidence of cirrhosis and associated diseases (diabetes, peptic ulcer and biliary stones). Patients younger than 15 years showed higher AST and lower gammaglobulins levels than patients in other age classes. Moreover, both in HBsAg positive and HBsAg negative CAH, patients with cirrhosis were older than patients without histological evidence of cirrhosis.