Fulminant hepatic failure secondary to hydroxychloroquine

Abstract

Hydroxychloroquine is widely used in rheumatological disease but hepatic side effects have not been reported previously. Two cases are described of fulminant hepatic failure developing after the start of hydroxychloroquine treatment for a chronic rheumatological disorder. In both cases the symptoms of liver disease developed within two weeks of starting hydroxychloroquine and rapidly progressed to fullminant hepatic failure and in neither case was there any pre-existing liver disease. One patient had emergency ortholopic liver transplantation and the other died before a donor organ became available.