re persistent vs chronic in article blue cis pitt edu kxgst pitt edu kenneth gilbert writes seriously though i wonder how someone with cph would end up getting a biopsy in the first place my understanding and feel free to correct me is that the enzymes are at worst mildly elevated with overall normal hepatic function i would think that the only clue might be a history of prior hepb infection and a positive hepb sag or is it indeed on a continuum with cah and the distinction merely one of pathology and prognosis but otherwise identical clinical features chronic persistent hepatitis is usually diagnosed when someone does a liver biopsy on a patient that has persistently elevated serum transaminases months after a bout of acute viral hepatitis or when someone is found to have persistently elevated transaminases on routine screening tests the degree of elevation in the serum transaminases can be trivial or as much as ten times normal other blood chemistries are usually normal as a rule patients with cph have no clinical signs of liver disease chronic active hepatitis can also be asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic at least initially and that s why it s important to tell them apart by means of a biopsy the patient with cph only needs to be reassured the patient with cah needs to be treated howard doyle doyle pitt edu
