1984 Volume 25 Issue 12 Pages 1612-1615
A 35-year-old man was administered metronidazole because his wife suffered from trichomonas vaginalis. About two weeks after administration of the drug, he was admitted to the hospital with fever and abdominal distension. On admission, laboratory data showed leukocytosis with eosinophilia and elevation of transaminase levels. The lymphocyte transformation test showed positive when metronidazole was added to the culture medium of the lymphocyte. The liver biopsy specimen showed zonal necrosis of centrilobule and mononuclear cells' infiltration. These observations indicate a metronidazole-indgced liver injury. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case reported with metronidazole-induced liver injury. Metronidazole has been widely used for the treatment of trichomonas vaginalis, so physcians should be aware of liver injury as a possible complication of this drug's use.
