Forty Japanese patients with alcoholic liver disease (nonspecific change, 9; fatty liver, 5; hepatic fibrosis, 4; chronic hepatitis, 12; alcoholic hepatitis, 5; liver cirrhosis, 5) were followed for 3-17 yr (average 8 yr) with repeated liver biopsies (2-5 times; average 2.5 times) at intervals of more than 3 yr. All of the patients continued to consume alcohol during this observation period. Five out of 12 patients with chronic hepatitis and 2 of 5 patients with alcoholic hepatitis eventually progressed to cirrhosis, while none of the 4 patients with hepatic fibrosis became cirrhotic. Anti-hepatitis C virus antibody was positive in 2 patients with liver cirrhosis among 12 patients whose sera were available. Two patients with cirrhosis died of hepatic failure and one patient died of hepatocellular carcinoma. These data suggest that the long-term prognosis of alcoholic liver disease is not necessarily poor, but patients with chronic hepatitis or alcoholic hepatitis can be at risk of progression to cirrhosis.