title: [Glycocorticosteroid administration prevents fulminant hepatic failure occurrence in patients with chronic hepatitis B of severe degree].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To prevent chronic severe hepatitis, even more fulminant hepatic failure (FHF) occurrence in patients with chronic hepatitis B of severe degree using steroid.
  
  
  METHODS
  120 patients were randomized into conventional supporting treatment and steroid treatment groups. The latter, 62 patients were given intravenously hydrocortisone sodium succinate at the dose of 150 mg to approximately 200 mg everyday plus support care.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The rate of deteriorating to chronic severe hepatitis in steroid treatment group was significantly lower than that of conventional group (22% vs 48%, x(2) =7.60, P<0.01). 53.6% (15/28) patients with chronic severe hepatitis in conventional group died, while only 28.6% (4/14) in steroid treatment group succumbed to terminal liver disease (x(2)=0.02, P>0.05). There was no difference between the two groups regarding to complications incidence: gastrointestinal bleeding and infections except for some controllable serious reverse events, such as candidiasis, diabetes, herpes zoster and pulmonary tuberculosis found in some patients in steroid-treated group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that steroid administration with improved support care not only is likely to prevent chronic severe hepatitis occurrence in patients with chronic viral hepatitis of severe degree, but also shows some efficacy for FHF, which warrant further investigation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, 105th Hospital of People's Liberation Army, Hefei 230031, China.
authors.forename: Cong-xin
authors.initials: CX
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Shun-ming
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Bo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Jia-hong
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Ning
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Ke-wan
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D019694:Hepatitis B, Chronic / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D017093:Liver Failure / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008297:Male
chemical_list: D005938:Glucocorticoids