[Hepatitis secondary to current non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents]

The authors report 83 cases of acute hepatitis secondary to non steroid anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID), published in the literature. The NSAID in question are: niflumic acid, tolfenamic acid, diclofenac, fenoprofen, ibuprofen, indomethacin, naproxen, piroxicam, pirprofen and sulindac. Six deaths are directly ascribed to NSAID: although rare, these forms of hepatitis deserve therefore to be reported. They are usually mixed immuno-allergic forms of hepatitis (cytolytic as well as cholestatic). They often affect elderly women taking multiple medications. Monitoring of the liver function tests is necessary, during prolonged treatment with NSAID, especially during the first six months.