title: Reversible cholestasis with bile duct injury following azathioprine therapy. A case report.
abstract: A 67-year-old patient, with primary polymyositis and without previous evidence of liver disease, developed clinical and biochemical features of severe cholestasis 3 months after initiation of azathioprine therapy. Liver biopsy showed cholestasis with both cytological and architectural alterations of interlobular bile ducts. Azathioprine withdrawal resulted after 7 weeks in the resolution of clinical and biochemical abnormalities. It is believed that this is the first reported case of reversible azathioprine-induced cholestasis associated with histological evidence of bile duct injury.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, St-Luc University Hospital and Medical School (UCL), Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Horsmans
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rahier
authors.forename: A P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Geubel
mesh_terms: D001379:Azathioprine / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001653:Bile Ducts, Intrahepatic / Q000473:pathology*; D001706:Biopsy; D002780:Cholestasis, Intrahepatic / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009220:Myositis / Q000188:drug therapy
chemical_list: D001379:Azathioprine