title: Use of apixaban after development of suspected rivaroxaban-induced hepatic steatosis; a case report.
abstract: Postmarketing reports have emerged associating rivaroxaban with drug-induced liver injury (DILI); however, management strategies of patients with suspected rivaroxaban-induced liver injury requiring continued anticoagulation have not been published. The present report describes a 67-year-old male with atrial fibrillation receiving rivaroxaban who developed a 16-fold elevation in alanine transaminase, a nearly two-fold elevation in total bilirubin, and ultrasound confirmed hepatic steatosis. The patient was switched from rivaroxaban to apixaban with subsequent rapid resolution of laboratory abnormalities. Rapid improvement in liver function tests despite use of an alternative factor Xa inhibitor suggests that rivaroxaban's mechanism of hepatotoxicity may be unrelated to its pharmacologic action. When using rivaroxaban, clinicians should be aware of the small but potentially serious risk of DILI. Because most anticoagulants have been associated with DILI, selection of an alternative anticoagulant may be challenging; however, the use of apixaban in this case suggests it may be a reasonable alternative.
authors.affiliation: aVeterans Affairs Medical Center, West Palm Beach bVeterans Integrated Service Network 8, Pharmacy Benefits Management, Bay Pines, Florida cUniversity of Minnesota College of Pharmacy, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.
authors.forename: Emily J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Anastasia
authors.forename: Robert S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Rosenstein
authors.forename: Jeffrey A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Bergsman
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Parra
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D056486:Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011720:Pyrazoles / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011728:Pyridones / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000069552:Rivaroxaban / Q000009:adverse effects*
chemical_list: D011720:Pyrazoles; D011728:Pyridones; C522181:apixaban; D000069552:Rivaroxaban