CHRONIC HEPATITIS IN THE MEDITERRANEAN THEATER: A NEW CLINICAL SYNDROME

In a previous communication we have reported our observations on acute infectious hepatitis in the Mediterranean theater. 1 During the course of these studies it became apparent that certain patients failed to recover promptly, exhibiting symptoms and findings indicating persistent hepatic disease for prolonged periods of time with a tendency toward exacerbations and remissions. These cases present a sufficiently distinctive and uniform clinical picture to justify their consideration as a separate group or syndrome, which we have called chronic hepatitis. By the use of the term "chronic" we refer only to duration without implication regarding the nature of the pathologic process or the eventual prognosis. Although the existence of this condition has been recognized by others, 2 we believe that this is the first detailed clinical description based on adequate material. Because of the large number of persons who have had infectious hepatitis during the last few years, the interpretation