[Fulminant liver failure caused by antitubercular drugs. Report of a clinical case]

The incidence of tuberculosis has grown seriously in the last ten years and so have the risks due to drug toxicity of Ethambutol, Isoniazid, Pyrazinamide, Rifampicin. One of the questions is whether a careful monitoring of liver function during anti-tubercular chemotherapy could be useful, given that once severe organ toxicity initiates the survival rate remains under 10% if organ transplant is not available. International literature shows a clear prevalence of this event in Asiatic populations which are now well represented in Italy owing to incoming migrations. A case of fulminant hepatitis in a young Chinese man under treatment for TBC arrived at our ICU with a drug-induced acute hepatitis is reported.