[Liver function test impairment induced by propafenone in a 73 year old woman]

Propafenone hydrochloride is a drug used for treating arrhythmia. The drug is usually well tolerated, although there are cardiovascular as well as non-cardiovascular side effects. The latter usually occur in the digestive tract and the neurological system. The rarest side effect is cholestasis. The literature cites five reported cases. This phenomenon is generally accompanied by clinical symptoms and upon discontinuation of the treatment with propafenone, the liver function tests return to the normal range. We review the literature dealing with liver damage resulting from treatment using propafenone. This is a case study of a 73-year old woman with three exposures of cholestasis connected to treatment with propafenone. The literature background and the case history were presented in order to heighten the physician's awareness of this rare phenomenon.