Esterified Anabolic Androgen-Induced Liver Injury in a Hepatitis C Virus-Positive Patient: A CaseReport

Background: Cases of drug induced liver injury still perplex gastroenterologists due to its wide range of presentations that mimic acute and chronic liver conditions. Moreover, matters get complicated when clinicians face the possibility of drug-induced injury in the presence of pre-existing chronic liver disease. Case: A 69 year-old male who was recently discovered to have a hepatitis C viral infection presented with acute manifestations (mixed cholangio-hepatocellular injury) not fully explained by the underlying chronic disease, we suspected an idiosyncratic reaction from an esterified anabolic androgen. His manifestations have appeared acutely after the drug intake and include acute onset of jaundice, abdominal pain, pruritus and choluria. He was improving on drug discontinuity and conservative measures during his brief hospital stay. Conclusion: The underlying chronic disease constitutes a dilemma in diagnosis of superimposed drug-induced liver injury, as the proof of causality is a daunting task. In such cases, it is tempting to link such new emerging manifestations to be a flare-up of the underlying chronic disease rather than to the drug. However, certain clues helped to point this clinical presentation towards a drug-induced liver injury.