Levofloxacin-induced hepatotoxicity and death.
Drug-induced hepatotoxicity is a major cause of hepatocellular injury in patients admitting to emergency services with acute liver failure. Hepatic necrosis may be at varying degrees from mild elevations in transaminases to fulminant hepatitis, and even death. The case of a 53-year-old female patient with toxic hepatitis due to levofloxacin and multiple organ failure secondary to toxic hepatitis is presented. Patient suffered itching, redness, and rash after receiving a single dose of 750 mg of levofloxacin tablets for pulmonary infection 10 days ago. Skin lesions had regressed within 3 days, but desquamation formed all over the body. After the fifth day of drug intake, complaints of abdominal pain, vomiting, and yellowing in skin color had started. The patient was referred to our emergency department with these complaints 10 days after drug intake. Patient was thought as a candidate for liver transplant, but cardiopulmonary arrest occurred, and the patient died before she could be referred to a transplant center. This case is important because hepatotoxicity and death due to levofloxacin is uncommon in the literature.
1Emergency Medicine Service, Eskisehir Yunus Emre State Hospital, Eskisehir, Turkey; 2Department of Emergency Medicine, Adana Numune Education and Research Hospital, Adana, Turkey; 3Department of Emergency Medicine, School of Medicine, Cukurova University, Adana, Turkey; and 4Department of Emergency Medicine, Ataturk Education and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
Muge
M
Gulen
Mehmet Oguzhan
MO
Ay
Akkan
A
Avci
Ayca
A
Acikalin
Ferhat
F
Icme
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000009:adverse effects*; D056486:Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury / Q000209:etiology*; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D064704:Levofloxacin / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008875:Middle Aged
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D064704:Levofloxacin