Background: Although very rare, pantoprazole can result in acute hepatitis. It has yet to be reported, however, that it can also cause chronic autoimmune hepatitis.
Aim, method and results: We report the case of a patient in whom pantoprazole administration for 2 months was followed by acute liver injury with severe jaundice and features of autoimmunity. A liver biopsy revealed acute hepatocellular lesions associated with cholestasis, acute cholangitis and polymorphous inflammatory infiltration suggestive of drug-induced liver injury. The jaundice disappeared following discontinuation of the pantoprazole. There was, however, chronic autoimmune liver injury, with the occurrence of extensive liver fibrosis within a few months. This led to the administration of immunosuppressive agents, which led to progressive and complete recovery associated with the disappearance of autoantibodies.
Conclusion: This observation further supports the notion that pantoprazole can induce acute hepatocellular hepatitis, and it strongly suggests that it may trigger acute cholangitis and autoimmune liver injury. This case also helps document that some drugs can induce chronic autoimmune hepatitis that can resolve with immunosuppressive treatment.
Keywords: drug-induced autoimmunity; drug-induced liver injury; hepatotoxicity; pantoprazole.
© 2018 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.