Objective: To report the apparent development of endstage liver disease secondary to nitrofurantoin administration.
Patient: A 40-year-old woman developed hepatic failure after receiving nitrofurantoin 200 mg po bid for one month for prophylaxis against urinary-tract infections. Symptoms first occurred after two weeks of nitrofurantoin therapy. Other causes of hepatic failure (e.g., viral infection, autoimmune disorder, concomitant medications, cancer, Wilson's disease, ethanol abuse, pregnancy) were ruled out.
Conclusions: Acute and chronic hepatic injury has previously been reported with the use of nitrofurantoin. The proposed mechanism may be immunoallergic or metabolic in origin. On evaluating concomitant diseases and medications in our patient as well as the temporal sequence of her signs and symptoms, it appears that she developed hepatic failure secondary to the use of nitrofurantoin, ultimately necessitating orthotopic liver transplantation. The potential for the development of such a severe adverse reaction warrants careful evaluation of symptoms that may potentially be caused by hepatic damage as well as immediate discontinuation of nitrofurantoin in patients presenting with jaundice.