AIM To investigate the efficacy and safety of different combinations of hepatoprotective drugs in treating viral hepatitis,providing reference for formulating therapeutic regimens for viral hepatitis.METHODS A total of 503 patients with viral hepatitis who received hepatoprotective drugs from June 2016 to December 2022 were collected.Patients were divided into single-drug,double-drug,triple-drug and quadruple-drug treatment groups based on the combination regimen.Levels of ALT,AST,ALP,TBIL and ALB before and after treatment,the effective rate of treatment and the occurrence of adverse reactions were compared among 4 groups.RESULTS The use of anti-inflammatory and hepatoprotective drugs was higher in the department of hepatobiliary surgery(51.1%)and infectious diseases(46.1%).The average treatment course was(10.08±5.26)days in 503 cases.The duration of anti-inflammatory and hepatoprotective drug use in the infectious diseases department was longer than that in the hepatobiliary surgery department(P<0.01).The main medication regimen was the triple-drug regimen,accounting for 44.7%.The total effective rate was 65.6%.The effective rate of the multi-drug regimen in the hepatobiliary surgery department was lower than that of the single-drug regimen(P<0.01).Conversely,in the infectious diseases department,the efficacy rate of the single-drug group was lower than the other groups(P<0.01).The levels of AST and ALT in the dual-drug group were higher than those in the single-drug group(P<0.05),the levels of ALT,AST,and TBIL in the triple-drug group were higher than those in the single-drug group(P<0.01),and the levels of ALT,AST,and ALP in the quadruple-drug group were higher than those in the single-drug group(P<0.01).The levels of ALT and AST were significantly decreased after the treatment of multi-drug regimens(P<0.05).CONCLUSION The mainstream of drug therapy for viral hepatitis is the triple-drug regimen.Hepatobiliary surgery and infectious diseases departments frequently utilize anti-inflammatory and hepatoprotective medications.For individuals with compromised liver function,clinicians prefer multi-drug regimens.However,multiple medications could potentially further affect liver function in these patients.It is recommended to weigh the safety and effectiveness of therapeutic regimens during clinical medication,control the number of drugs administered,reduce the liver burden of patients,and reduce the risk of adverse reactions.