[A controlled clinical trial of methylprednisolone in patients with the cholestatic form of alcoholic liver cirrhosis]

Abstract

Fourty patients with alcoholic liver cirrhosis and refractory hyperbilirubinaemia were included in a prospective, double blind, comparative trial. Twenty of them were randomized to methylprednisolone (1 mg/kg/day i.m. over 3 days), and 20 to placebo (saline) of identical shape. In the active group a significant decrease in the bilirubin level (from 248 to 191 mumol/l, a drop by 23%; p < 0.05) was observed, which was not the case in the control group (from 292 to 300 mumol/l, an increase by 2.7%; p > 0.05). A decrease in the alkaline phosphatase activity was observed in both groups (by 11% in the active and by 20% in the control group: p < 0.05) while the encephalopathic indices did not improve in either. It is concluded that a short course of corticosteroid could speed-up the hospital stay and possibly slow down the progression of alcoholic cirrhosis.