Cholestatic liver injury after prolonged exposure to methyldopa

Digestion. 1989;42(1):57-60. doi: 10.1159/000199826.

Abstract

We describe a 75-year-old patient who presented with severe cholestatic liver disease. He had been receiving methyldopa, 250 mg daily, for 6 years. An extensive evaluation failed to reveal extrahepatic obstruction or serologic evidence of viral hepatitis. A liver biopsy disclosed marked cholestasis, without hepatitis, and was compatible with a rare form of methyldopa-induced liver injury. Cessation of drug treatment was followed by a slow but complete recovery. Cholestasis is a rare manifestation of methyldopa hepatotoxicity. Although methyldopa-associated liver injury usually appears after about 4 weeks of treatment, a history of a much longer exposure does not exclude this entity.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Biopsy
  • Cholestasis / chemically induced*
  • Humans
  • Liver / drug effects*
  • Male
  • Methyldopa / adverse effects*

Substances

  • Methyldopa