Marinos G, Riley J, Painter D M, McCaughan G W
A.W. Morrow Gastroenterology and Liver Centre, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Camperdown, Australia.
J Clin Gastroenterol. 1992 Mar;14(2):132-5. doi: 10.1097/00004836-199203000-00012.
We report two cases of massive hepatic necrosis associated with sulfasalazine. Both patients had underlying inflammatory bowel disease. One of the patients had a history of an ill-defined autoimmune disorder (Sjögren's syndrome). Symptoms and signs of a generalized hypersensitivity reaction were present in both patients. One patient died of a subarachnoid hemorrhage while awaiting transplant, the second died 2 weeks after transplant from disseminated aspergillosis. These two cases remind us of one of the potential hazards of sulfasalazine at a time when alternative therapies are now available.
