Acute hepatitis associated with the use of levofloxacin

Levofloxacin is a fluoroquinolone used globally to treat respiratory, skin, and genitourinary tract infections. It is generally well tolerated and there is a very low risk for liver injury in patients taking this antibiotic.

We report an acute case of hepatitis following treatment with levofloxacin for pneumonia.

A 77-year-old white male (height, 162 cm; weight, 58 kg) with chronic bronchitis presented to the emergency department of the Hospital Curry Cabral, Lisbon, Portugal, with respiratory difficulty and productive cough. The patient had a history of chronic bronchitis, arterial hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and benign prostatic hyperplasia, and was being treated with salmeterol 50 μg plus fluticasone 250 μg BID, and amlodipine 5 mg, simvastatin 20 mg, alfuzosin 10 mg, and finasteride 5 mg once daily. Initially, the patient refused admission and was sent home, medicated with levofloxacin 500 mg once daily (single dose) for pneumonia and acetaminophen 1 g (as needed, maximum TID) if axillary temperature exceeded 38.0°C (100.4°F). Three days later, the patient returned for a follow-up visit, and despite clinical and radiologic improvement, blood tests revealed a slight aggravation of anemia. On the seventh day of treatment with levofloxacin, the patient showed an elevation of transaminases. The temporal relation between the use of levofloxacin and the liver injury, the exclusion of other causes of hepatitis, and a compatible liver biopsy (conducted 14 days after identification of hepatitis) was consistent with the diagnosis of levofloxacin-associated hepatotoxicity. Levofloxacin treatment was stopped and the patient made a full recovery. The Naranjo Adverse Drug Reaction Probability Scale score for this association was "probable" (score 7) and the Roussel Uclaf Causality Assessment Method Scale score was "highly probable" (score 9). Unlike the 5 reported cases in the literature, this is the only case in which both a liver biopsy was performed in the course of the disease and the patient survived.

The acute hepatitis observed in this elderly patient was probably associated with the administration of levofloxacin.