[Chronic hepatitis ascribed to the use of sotalol]
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Updated: Oct 3, 2026

Tachycardia-Induced Cardiomyopathy As a Chronic Heart Failure Model in Swine
Published on: February 17, 2018
A M Kootte1, A R Janssens, D K Ouwehand
1Afd. Inwendige Geneeskunde en Maag-Darm-Leverziekten, Rijnland Ziekenhuis, Postbus 4220, 2350 CC Leiderdorp.
Abstract:
In a 68-year-old woman with severe chronic hepatitis an extensive investigation revealed no other cause than the use of sotalol for 10 months due to atrial fibrillation. Once the use of the medication had been discontinued the patient's symptoms quickly disappeared and the liver function disorders normalised within 5 months. Sotalol is a beta-adrenergic receptor blocking and anti-arrhythmic agent. It is widely used in patients with supraventricular and ventricular arrhythmias. An adverse effect in terms of liver damage is not known. The pathogenesis of the observed hepatitis remained an enigma because sotalol is a hydrophilic substance which is not metabolized by the liver and is cleared by the kidneys unchanged.
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