title: Autoimmune hepatitis unmasked by nimesulide.
abstract: A 49-year-old woman presented at the emergency department, with acute hepatic failure, 2 weeks after taking nimesulide. Presenting with a MELD score of 25.0, the patient was transferred to a specialised liver transplant unit, with the probable diagnosis of toxic hepatitis. After a clinical improvement with supportive care and acetylcysteine, a liver biopsy was executed. The histology revealed micronodular cirrhosis associated with acute hepatitis, with features suggestive of autoimmune hepatitis. The patient was then started on azathioprine 50 mg/day and prednisolone 30 mg/day, and tapering of prednisolone was carried out in the following months. Twenty eight months after treatment, another liver biopsy was performed, showing almost full remission of the disease, with only mild fibrosis and no significant inflammatory infiltrate.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Hospital de Braga, Braga, Portugal.
authors.forename: Rita
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3708-9681
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Magalhães
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Hospital de Braga, Braga, Portugal.
authors.forename: Margarida
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fonseca
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Hospital de Braga, Braga, Portugal.
authors.forename: Ilídio
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Brandão
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Hospital de Braga, Braga, Portugal.
authors.forename: Sofia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Caridade
mesh_terms: D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D019693:Hepatitis, Autoimmune / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology*; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D017114:Liver Failure, Acute / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D010146:Pain / Q000188:drug therapy; D013449:Sulfonamides / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; D013449:Sulfonamides; C012655:nimesulide