Acute hepatitis due to brivudin: a case report.
OBJECTIVE
Brivudin is licensed in several European countries for the treatment of herpetic infections, and is considered safe (approximately 1% of patients with transient elevation of liver enzymes) in large multicenter trials.


METHODS
We report a case of acute brivudin hepatitis documented with a liver biopsy in detail.


RESULTS
Liver biopsy demonstrated acute liver injury with a predominant cytolytic pattern and features suggestive of a drug-induced immunoallergic hepatitis. Elevated ALT levels returned to normal within weeks.


CONCLUSIONS
This is the first published case of acute immunoallergic hepatitis due to brivudin.
Mottu
Alexandre
A
General Internal Medicine, University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland.
Rubbia-Brandt
Laura
L
Bihl
Florian
F
Hadengue
Antoine
A
Spahr
Laurent
L
D000328:Adult; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000633:toxicity*; D001663:Bilirubin / Q000097:blood; D001973:Bromodeoxyuridine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000633:toxicity; D056486:Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury / Q000097:blood / Q000201:enzymology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D006561:Herpes Simplex / Q000188:drug therapy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male
D000998:Antiviral Agents; C020235:brivudine; D000410:Alanine Transaminase; D001973:Bromodeoxyuridine; D001663:Bilirubin