Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 19, 2026

Human Liver Microphysiological System for Assessing Drug-Induced Liver Toxicity In Vitro
Published on: January 31, 2022
Hypersensitivity with hepatotoxicity to mesalazine after hypersensitivity to sulfasalazine
M L Hautekeete1, N Bourgeois, P Potvin
1Department of Hepatogastroenterology, Free University of Brussels (Academic Hospital-VUB and Hôpital Erasme-ULB), Belgium.
Abstract:
A 21-year-old woman with Crohn's disease of the colon developed a skin rash after 3 weeks of treatment with sulfasalazine. Administration of sulfasalazine was discontinued. When mesalazine was instituted 1 week later, she developed a severe hypersensitivity reaction characterized by fever, diarrhea, skin rash with subsequent desquamation, marked atypical lymphocytosis, and severe hepatotoxicity. Recovery was complete. The clinical and biological features as well as liver pathology of this case bear a striking resemblance to earlier reports of hypersensitivity reaction with severe hepatotoxicity to sulfasalazine. The authors urge caution when mesalazine is given to a patient with known hypersensitivity to sulfasalazine.
Related Concept Videos
Hypersensitivities
Types of Hypersensitivities
Hypersensitivity reactions are categorized into four types: Type 1, Type 2, Type 3, and Type 4. Each type has a distinct mechanism...
Drugs for Treatment of Ulcerative Colitis in IBD
Drug Toxicity: Allergic Reactions
Hypersensitivity Reactions: Delayed Hypersensitivity Reactions
Drug toxicity: Idiosyncratic Reactions
Hypersensitivity Reactions: Immune-Complex Reactions
