title: Three cases of liver injury caused by Sennomotokounou, a Chinese dietary supplement for weight loss.
abstract: Dietary supplements have become very popular worldwide because they are believed to be safe with few side effects. Here, we report three cases of liver injury caused by Sennomotokounou, a Chinese dietary supplement for weight reduction. All patients developed acute hepatotoxicity and recovered spontaneously after withdrawal of dietary product. This product contains fenfluramine, n-nitroso-fenfluramine, and dried thyroid tissue powder. In Japan, the regulatory agency for drug and food safety received 120 reports of hepatotoxicity associated with Sennomotokounou between 2000 and 2002. Physicians should inquire about the use of dietary supplements whenever patients present with unexplained acute liver dysfunction.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Hamamatsu Medical Center, Hamamatsu.
authors.forename: Kazuhito
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kawata
authors.forename: Yasunori
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Takehira
authors.forename: Yoshimasa
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.forename: Mutsuo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kitagawa
authors.forename: Masami
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yamada
authors.forename: Kazunori
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hanajima
authors.forename: Gou
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Murohisa
authors.forename: Motoko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kawamura
authors.forename: Yasushi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Iwaoka
authors.forename: Tomohiko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wada
authors.forename: Satoru
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Morita
authors.forename: Moriya
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Iwaizumi
authors.forename: Satuki
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Makino
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D019440:Anti-Obesity Agents / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D005277:Fenfluramine / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D006980:Hyperthyroidism / Q000139:chemically induced; D017114:Liver Failure, Acute / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000473:pathology; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D019440:Anti-Obesity Agents; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; C484109:sennomotokounou; D005277:Fenfluramine