[Hepatology]

Abstract

Therapy by pegylated interferon-alpha (PEG-IFN-alpha), lamivudine and adefovir have significantly improved treatment perspectives for patients with chronic hepatitis B. New nucleos(t)ide analogues should permit the development of more effective combination therapies. In autoimmune hepatitis, if there is no response or an intolerance to therapy with prednisone and imurek, administration of mycophenolate mofetil should be envisaged. Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) therapy, at a dosage of 13-15 mg/ kg/day, remains the treatment of choice for primary biliary cirrhosis and should be administered at an early stage to improve patients' survival. In the treatment of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, thiazolidinediones show considerable promise, but further clinical studies are required in order to prove their efficacity and safety.