Alfuzosin-induced acute hepatitis in a patient with chronic liver disease

To report a new case of probable alfuzosin-induced hepatitis.

An 80-year-old man was evaluated because of jaundice and pruritus. He was diagnosed as having Child-Pugh A chronic liver disease due to hepatitis B virus. Other etiologies of hepatitis were appropriately ruled out, and the hepatitis B was non-replicative. Therefore, elevated liver enzyme levels were ascribed to alfuzosin treatment.

Although alfuzosin-related mixed-type hepatotoxicity has been previously reported, this is the first published case describing probable hepatocellular-type hepatotoxicity resulting from use of alfuzosin in a patient with underlying chronic liver disease. According to the Naranjo probability scale, alfuzosin was a probable cause of the hepatotoxicity. The mechanism of alfuzosin-induced liver damage is unknown. Several features, such as absence of predictable dose-dependent toxicity of alfuzosin in previous studies and absence of hypersensitivity manifestations in our case, are suggestive of a metabolic type of idiosyncratic toxicity.

Alfuzosin rarely causes hepatotoxicity; however, clinicians must be alert for this adverse effect while using alfuzosin.