Year: 2004
Type: article
Study design: Case Report
Abstract: A 74-year-old woman was admitted with jaundice. She was suffering from generalised liver failure with a highly prolonged prothrombin time, a low albumin level and ascites. Further anamnesis revealed that she had been taking nitrofurantoin as a prophylactic agent for recurrent urinary tract infections every day for 5 years. Because of the indications for liver damage due to nitrofurantoin, the drug was discontinued immediately on admission. After withdrawal of nitrofurantoin there was a very gradual clinical and biochemical improvement. Liver biopsies to confirm the diagnosis revealed extensive liver damage with cirrhosis such as may be seen following long-term use of nitrofurantoin. Nitrofurantoin should be prescribed with caution as a prophylactic agent in elderly women and patients with renal dysfunction because the risk of liver damage as a serious side effect of nitrofurantoin is greatly increased in these patients.
Source: PubMed
Authors: F Volbeda, A M Jonker, J Vecht, P H Groeneveld
Institution: Isala
Language: Dutch
Subfield: Pharmacology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2398873115