Acute Liver Injury in a Patient Treated With Rosuvastatin: A Rare Adverse Effect

Abstract

Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is among the challenging liver conditions encountered by clinicians today. It has a low incidence in the general population with an approximated annual incidence of 10 - 15 cases per 10,000 - 100,000 persons who have taken prescription medications. Nevertheless, DILI remains the most frequent cause of acute liver injury in the United States. Rosuvastatin is a commonly prescribed medication that, similar to other statins, is associated with serum aminotransferase elevations that are mild, asymptomatic and usually self-limited. Here, we report a case of a man who developed acute liver injury after taking rosuvastatin for hypercholesterolemia treatment. Moreover, DILI with autoimmune features represents a key subgroup of hepatotoxicity attributable to medication exposure. Similar to idiopathic autoimmune hepatitis, circulating autoantibodies and a hypergammaglobulinemia are often present in the serum of such individuals. However, such findings are not invariable. In the case reported here, these laboratory features were absent, but a liver biopsy demonstrated interface hepatitis with a prominent plasma cell infiltrate, histologic components consistent with an immune-mediated drug reaction. After withdrawal of the offending medication did not result in complete resolution, corticosteroid therapy was administered with a subsequent clinical response, confirming the diagnosis.