Olmesartan-Induced Ischemic Enteritis Complicated With Bowel Perforation: A Case Report and Literature Review

Olmesartan is a relatively new angiotensin receptor blocker used widely to control hypertension. Cases have been reported previously of enteropathy induced by olmesartan. Here, the authors report a case of olmesartan-induced ischemic enteritis complicated by bowel perforation. A 52-year-old male patient, during the treatment with olmesartan, developed severe abdominal pain of five-day duration. He underwent exploratory laparotomy for bowel perforation and surgical resection of the ischemic bowel segment. On a two-month follow-up after the discontinuation of olmesartan and the emergency surgery, the patient was symptom-free and functioning well. This rare report focuses on ischemic enteritis associated with olmesartan, describes the symptoms, and records the progression of this side effect and the corresponding treatment. Our case aims to raise awareness amongst physicians about the possibility of this severe complication and to point out that more research is still needed on its pathophysiology to better understand this drug.