NEW ETIOLOGIC CLASSIFICATION OF CHRONIC HEPATITIS

Today, viruses and autoimmunity phenomena are at the focus of interest in chronic hepatitis not least with respect to the differing treatmen ts e.g. with interferon and immunosuppressants. Unfortunately, the las t international nomenclature fails to take adequate account of the var ious forms of chronic hepatitis of the fact that autoimmunity phenomen a are predominantly physiological and also occur in the case of viral hepatitides, and also that the cause of autoimmune hepatitis is not cl ear if we wish to avoid errors we should employ a descriptive dynamic classification and not forget that the reclassification may be needed during the natural history of the disease. Therefore we differentiate four groups of chronic hepatitis: group 1. viral marker and marked aut oimmune phenomena absent. group 2. viral marker present marked autoimm une phenomena absent. group 3. viral marker absent marked autoimmune p henomena present. group 4. viral marker and marked autoimmune phenomen a present.