Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0019158 (hepatitis)
 30,205 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Drug-induced hepatitis still arouse many practical problems, as their pathogenesis has not been fully elucidated yet, given the absence of specific criteria. Drug-induced hepatitis are acute and chronic. Cytolytic hepatitis, cholestatic hepatitis and mixed hepatitis belong to the former category. Drug-induced hepatitis show various clinical and biological pictures, generally similar to those of viral hepatitis. In the most cases, the prognosis is good and their evolution favourable. Cytolytic hepatitis--the result of a wider hepatocytic necrosis--have a more severe prognosis. The most severe form is the fulminant acute hepatitis, a consequence of the substantial necrosis of the hepatic parenchyma. Chronic hepatitis appears after prolonged administration of some drugs with toxic action. Clinical and biological manifestations are not characteristic. Evolution towards cirrhosis is possible. Drug-induced hepatitis are treated by interruption of the drugs generating them. After removing the noxious agent, the disease resolution takes place in one or two weeks.
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PMID:[Drug-induced hepatitis]. 257 68

Prescribed since 1948 to control chronic alcoholism, disulfiram may cause severe toxicity as report in three cases of acute motive axonal polyneuritis. Disulfiram toxicity may present different clinical aspects: 1) Cytolytic hepatitis with fatal evolution in 30% of cases (fulminant hepatitis), and full recovery for the other 70%. The onset of the symptoms usually occurs as early as 15 days to a maximum of 6 months (most within 2 months) after initiation of treatment. 2) Severe optic neuritis with full recovery in 2 months. 3) Peripheral neuropathy usually dose dependent, with different clinical presentations: polyneuritis with sensory, motor, or both deficits, and few cases of tetraplegia. 4) Encephalopathy frequently associated with one of the precedent symptoms, having a favorable outcome (probably resulting in inhibition of dopamine-beta-hydroxylase by disulfiram). The mechanism of toxicity (direct or idiosyncractic) remain unclear. Disulfiram has been used safely in millions of people since 1948, and we have only few cases reports of severe toxicity. From a practical point of view, treated patients should benefit by a neurological examination once a month, ophtalmological examination every 2 months, and hepatic enzymes monitored twice a month during the 2 first months. This is the price to prevent and to detect side effects of disulfiram therapy.
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PMID:[Disulfiram (Esperal) toxicity. Apropos of 3 original cases]. 857 Sep 64