Hepatic failure in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis treated with methotrexate: A case report

Chronic liver damage from methotrexate (MTX) is not uncommon, and fatal outcome is rare. We experienced a case of hepatic failure leading to death. We considered the cause of death through this case and proposed a method to prevent the progression of this liver injury.

We report the case of a patient with rheumatoid arthritis treated with MTX for 15 years.

A liver biopsy revealed histological changes similar to those of advanced nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), most likely induced by MTX. MTX was discontinued after 4 years. Two years after the discontinuation, the patient died of irreversible hepatic failure. Her obesity, complicated by type 2 diabetes mellitus, might have aggravated MTX-induced NASH-like liver injury.

Early diagnosis and immediate MTX discontinuation following NASH diagnosis and strict type 2 diabetes mellitus control might have prevented the irreversible progression of liver injury.