Histomorphologic picture of chronic non-A, non-B hepatitis

Basing on several international studies on the light microscopic pattern of acute non-A, non-B hepatitis we tried to discover the histological criteria of its chronic course by means of a detailed analysis of 181 liver biopsies of 94 patients suffering from chronic non-A, non-B hepatitis (a homogeneous group without competing noxious agents). In accordance with the relevant literature we found a rate of chronic courses of about 60% with chronic persistent hepatitis (2/3) and chronic lobular hepatitis (1/3) predominating. A transition into liver cirrhosis was not stated. As changes typical of the chronic non-A, non-B hepatitis cell ballooning (89%), changes of cell nuclei (88%), eosinophilic changes of cytoplasm (73%), focal sinusoidal cell activation (92%) and microvesicular steatosis (59%) were ascertained with the chronological analysis showing that there were no changes of these criteria up to the 6th year of disease. Its cause is seen in an incomplete elimination of the hepatitis viruses as a result of inefficient immune defence.