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Published on: April 28, 2020
Disulfiram-Induced Acute Liver Injury
Lucas Ramer1, Matthieu Tihy2, Nicolas Goossens1
1Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Hospitals of Geneva and Faculty of Medicine, Geneva, Switzerland.
Abstract:
Disulfiram is a drug used to treat alcohol dependence since many years. It interferes with the metabolism of alcohol, may be associated with neurological and dermatological symptoms, and can be hepatotoxic. Due to the frequent coexistent liver test alterations due to alcohol, the true incidence of disulfiram-associated liver injury is unclear and severity of injury may vary from mildly elevated liver enzymes to fulminant hepatitis leading to death. There are several reported cases of disulfiram hepatitis in the literature. Liver histology, when available, demonstrates some degree of portal inflammation with eosinophils and hepatocyte necrosis. We present here a well-documented case of acute hepatitis due to disulfiram with typical histological lesions, favorable outcome following drug withdrawal, and a brief steroid course. The risk of hepatotoxicity should be kept in mind when prescribing disulfiram.
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