Whether or not prednisolone (or prednisone) should be used to treat alcoholic hepatitis remains controversial. This new controlled study performed on 45 patients with steatosis, fibrosis or cirrhosis of the liver suggests that prednisolone is not effective: after a 3-month follow-up clinical course, biochemical alterations, anatomical lesions and portal hypertension were the same in patients treated with prednisolone and in those who did not receive that drug.