Background: The liver is the most commonly involved internal organ in drug-induced systemic hypersensitivity. However, data obtained from these patients have yet to be analyzed in depth with respect to liver injury.
Methods: The medical records of 136 patients who developed delayed-type drug hypersensitivity were reviewed at a tertiary referral hospital. Culprit drugs, the pattern and degree of liver injury, and the effect of systemic corticosteroids were evaluated in the group of patients with drug-induced systemic hypersensitivity and liver dysfunction (aspartate aminotransferase or alanine aminotransferase ≥80 IU/L). Clinical characteristics of patients with drug-induced systemic hypersensitivity and liver injury were analyzed.
Results: Among the 61 patients with drug-induced systemic hypersensitivity and liver dysfunction, the clinical phenotypes were drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (n = 29, 48%), Stevens-Johnson syndrome/toxic epidermal necrolysis (n = 11, 18%), and maculopapular rash (n = 17, 28%). Antibiotics (n = 27, 44%) were the most common cause of drug-induced systemic hypersensitivity with liver dysfunction. Whereas patients with Stevens-Johnson syndrome/toxic epidermal necrolysis had mild hepatocellular-type liver injury of relatively brief duration, those with drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms/drug-induced hypersensitivity syndrome had more severe and prolonged hepatocellular injury in addition to moderate to severe cholestatic-type liver injury. The use of systemic corticosteroids did not significantly affect either recovery from liver injury or mortality.
Limitations: This study was retrospective and the number of subjects was small.
Conclusion: The results suggest that the severity, pattern, and duration of liver injury differ according to the drug-hypersensitivity phenotype. Further studies are needed to evaluate the role of systemic corticosteroids in drug-induced systemic hypersensitivity and liver injury.
Keywords: ADR; ALT; AST; DRESS; DiHS; SJS; Stevens-Johnson syndrome; TEN; adverse drug reaction; alanine aminotransferase; aspartate aminotransferase; corticosteroid; drug hypersensitivity; drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms; drug-induced hypersensitivity syndrome; drug-induced liver injury; toxic epidermal necrolysis.
Copyright © 2013 American Academy of Dermatology, Inc. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.