An unusual cause of febrile hepatitis

5-Aminosalicylic Acid-Induced Liver Injury in a Patient with Ulcerative Colitis: A Case Report

Introduction

Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) associated with 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA) is a rare but potentially life-threatening adverse event.

Case Presentation

We report the case of a 58-year-old woman with ulcerative colitis who developed DILI after initiating maintenance therapy with the multimatrix system 5-ASA. The patient presented with grade 4 liver enzyme elevation on day 98 after initiating 5-ASA and was admitted to the hospital. Blood tests revealed the mixed liver injury, and imaging studies showed no abnormalities except for mild lymph node enlargement. Liver biopsy revealed acute lobular hepatitis with interfacial activity. The patient's score on the International Autoimmune Hepatitis Group 1999 revised scoring system was a total score of 10, causing a suspicion for the diagnosis of autoimmune hepatitis. The DDW-J 2004 scale calculated a total score of six, indicating a high probability of DILI. We suspected DILI due to 5-ASA, and the 5-ASA formulations were discontinued. The patient was treated with ursodeoxycholic acid and neominophagen C, and her liver function gradually improved without steroid treatment. Finally, we definitively diagnosed DILI based on the pathological findings and clinical course after discontinuation of 5-ASA.

Conclusion

This case highlights the importance of monitoring liver function in patients receiving 5-ASA therapy.

Cardiovascular manifestations of inflammatory bowel diseases and the underlying pathogenic mechanisms

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), consisting of ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, mainly affects the gastrointestinal tract but is also known to have extraintestinal manifestations because of long-standing systemic inflammation. Several national cohort studies have found that IBD is an independent risk factor for the development of cardiovascular disorders. However, the molecular mechanisms by which IBD impairs the cardiovascular system are not fully understood. Although the gut-heart axis is attracting more attention in recent years, our knowledge of the organ-to-organ communication between the gut and the heart remains limited. In patients with IBD, upregulated inflammatory factors, altered microRNAs and lipid profiles, as well as dysbiotic gut microbiota, may induce adverse cardiac remodeling. In addition, patients with IBD have a three- to four times higher risk of developing thrombosis than people without IBD, and it is believed that the increased risk of thrombosis is largely due to increased procoagulant factors, platelet count/activity, and fibrinogen concentration, in addition to decreased anticoagulant factors. The predisposing factors for atherosclerosis are present in IBD and the possible mechanisms may involve oxidative stress system, overexpression of matrix metalloproteinases, and changes in vascular smooth muscle phenotype. This review focuses mainly on 1) the prevalence of cardiovascular diseases associated with IBD, 2) the potential pathogenic mechanisms of cardiovascular diseases in patients with IBD, and 3) adverse effects of IBD drugs on the cardiovascular system. Also, we introduce here a new paradigm for the gut-heart axis that includes exosomal microRNA and the gut microbiota as a cause for cardiac remodeling and fibrosis.

"Hepatotoxicity in inflammatory bowel disease: mesalazine, the forgotten drug"

INTRODUCTION

Mesalazine is a widely prescribed drug, used for the treatment of ulcerative colitis to both induce and maintain remissions in disease. Mesalazine therapy has been associated with a low rate of serum enzyme elevations and a with rare instances of clinically apparent acute liver injury.

CASE PRESENTATION

A 51-year-old Caucasian woman with ulcerative colitis was treated with mesalazine. Two weeks later, the patient presented severe liver cholestatic injury. No symptoms of generalized hypersensitivity were seen. She had no history of liver disease and was known to have normal routine liver tests before starting treatment. The liver biopsy revealed mild periportal necroinflammatory lesions with no fibrosis, suggestive of drug-induced liver injury. The patient's symptoms were resolved by discontinuing the mesalazine treatment; within 6 months, all her liver panels returned to normal. After extensively excluding other potential causes of liver injury and with clinical and lab resolution after discontinuing the drug, we assumed mesalazine as the cause of hepatic toxicity.

CONCLUSION

We describe a patient with ulcerative colitis who developed severe but fully reversible liver cholestatic injury following the prescription of mesalazine. This case reinforces the possibility of a causal relationship between mesalazine therapy and toxic hepatic injury without systemic hypersensitivity. Although it is a usually well-tolerated drug, clinicians should be alert and discontinue therapy when liver dysfunction occurs to avoid the development of chronic hepatitis and liver fibrosis.

Recent Advances in the Histopathology of Drug-Induced Liver Injury

Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is constantly changing as new drugs are approved and as new herbals and dietary supplements (HDS) reach the market. The pathologist plays a key role in the evaluation of DILI by classifying and interpreting the histologic findings considering patients' medical history and drug exposure. The liver biopsy findings may suggest alternative explanations of the injury and additional testing that should be performed to exclude non-DILI causes. Recent reports of iatrogenic liver injury are reviewed with attention to immunomodulatory and antineoplastic agents as well as reports of injury associated with HDS use.