[Alcoholic hepatitis: prospective clinical study of 20 cases]. / Hepatitis alcohólica: estudio clínico prospectivo de 20 casos.

Twenty cases of alcoholic hepatitis were registered in a Gastroenterology Service during a two year span (from February 1980 to February 1982). The obstructive clinical pattern was predominant in an important number of the cases her reported. This is a remarkable situation for a clinical pathological correlationship to avoid indicating surgery for this type of patients. It is noticeable that the quantities and time of alcohol ingestion are below the levels indicated in medical papers used as reference. It is suggested that altitude hypoxia may be the cause for our patients being more liable to alcohol injury. Symptoms and laboratory findings were similar to the accepted patterns of reference works.

[Presence of antisinusoid antibodies in alcoholic hepatitis. Its probable pathogenic implications]. / Presencia de anticuerpos anti-sinusoide en las hepatitis alcohólicas. Su probable implicancia patogénica.

In nine patients with histological diagnosis of alcoholic hepatitis, in-situ deposition of autologous immunoglobulins (IgG, Iga, IgM) were investigated by inmmuno fluorescent techniques (IF). In three patients a linear fluorescent pattern was seen on the sinusoidal walls. The bound inmunoglobulins could be eluted by treatment with low pH buffers. In the same patients circulating antibodies against liver structures were investigated by indirect IF using normal murine or human liver as targets. In the same patients showing bound immunoglobulins in their liver, curculating antibodies against human sinusoids and not against murine liver could be found. On the basis of these findings the probable pathogenetic role of immune mechanism in alcoholic liver damage is discussed.