Hepatotoxicity after high-dose methylprednisolone for demyelinating disease.
Liver toxicity, although not mentioned among the possible adverse effects of corticosteroids, has been occasionally reported in literature. We observed 2 cases of hepatotoxicity after a high-dose methylprednisolone treatment of a demyelinating disease and evaluated the potential relationship in the light of available evidence. The first patient developed a histologically documented acute hepatitis and recovered after 3 weeks. In the second patient, a mild augmentation of liver enzymes occurred, followed by normalization in a few days. The causal relationship between hepatotoxicity and methylprednisolone treatment was deemed probable in both cases. Careful review of the literature suggests that corticosteroid-induced liver damage may be more frequent than commonly believed.
Loraschi
Anna
A
Section of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology, Department of Clinical Medicine, Varese, Italy.
Banfi
Paola
P
Mauri
Marco
M
Sessa
Fausto
F
Bono
Giorgio
G
Cosentino
Marco
M
D000328:Adult; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D056486:Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury / Q000209:etiology*; D003711:Demyelinating Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy; D064420:Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions / Q000139:chemically induced; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008775:Methylprednisolone / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use*
D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D008775:Methylprednisolone