title: Methyl-prednisolone treatment of serum HBsAg negative chronic active hepatitis occurring in transfusion-dependent thalassemia major.
abstract: We report the results of a two-year non randomized prednisolone trial carried out in 18 thalassemia major patients with chronic active hepatitis and in 16 controls. We found a beneficial effect on the biochemical remission rate and on the extent of liver inflammation with no significant side effects and no overt reactivation of possible latent HBV infection at three-year follow-up. However, a more prolonged longitudinal study is necessary in order to evaluate whether steroid treatment can impede the evolution to cirrhosis without determining long-term consequences, depending on virus-host interactions such as liver cell carcinoma.
mesh_terms: D001803:Blood Transfusion; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D006521:Hepatitis, Chronic / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology; D006525:Hepatitis, Viral, Human / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology; D008775:Methylprednisolone / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D013789:Thalassemia / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy*
chemical_list: D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens; D008775:Methylprednisolone