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Severe acute alcoholic hepatitis generally is treated with corticosteroids or pentoxifylline. Both agents are anti-inflammatory molecules and have been shown to improve short-term survival, compared with placebo. However, 40% of patients will obtain no benefit from corticosteroid therapy, and little is known about the effects of subsequent pentoxifylline treatment. In the current prospective study, investigators tested the efficacy of a two-step treatment strategy, in which all patients received corticosteroids, and those who did not respond were switched to pentoxifylline.
The study involved 121 patients in France who had severe acute alcoholic hepatitis and no evidence of uncontrolled gastrointestinal bleeding or infection. All patients un…