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by MedExpert on November 3rd, 2007

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What are the causes and symptoms of drug-induced hepatitis?

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  • by MedExpert on November 3rd, 2007

    MedExpert

    There are three general types of drug-induced hepatitis: toxic, metabolic idiosyncrasy and immunologic idiosyncrasy. With toxic hepatitis liver damage as the result of a drug complication with hepatotoxins happens to everyone who takes that particular drug. On the other hand, hepatitis resulting from a metabolic or immunologic idiosyncrasy only happens to certain people, those predisposed to particular idiosyncrasy.

    In patients with a metabolic idiosyncrasy the person metabolizes the drug differently than most people causing a harmful by-product that damages the liver. A metabolic idiosyncrasy is seen in 0.1-2% of people and it is complicated by use of alcohol.

    With an immunologic idiosyncrasy the patient's body recognizes the metabolized drug by-products as foreign. This leads to the destruction of liver cells containing the by-product via the immune system resulting in hepatitis. An immunologic idiosyncrasy is seen in less than one person per 10,000 (0.01%) people and is more than twice as common in women.

    The symptoms of drug-induced hepatitis are similar to viral hepatitis. Drug induced hepatitis tends to be acute. If it is not caught soon enough the damage could be permanent resulting in chronic hepatitis. Some of the common symptoms are:

    • nausea
    • vomiting
    • headache
    • anorexia
    • jaundice
    • clay color stools
    • dark urine
    • hepatomegaly

    Source: The Gale Group. Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine, 3rd ed.";

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