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Publication Information

PubMed ID
Public Release Type
Journal
Publication Year
2022
Affiliation
1Indiana University School of Medicine & Indiana University Health, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. Electronic address: nchalasa@iu.edu. 2Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA. 3Einstein-Jefferson Health, Philadelphia, PA, USA. 4Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA. 5University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA. 6Duke Clinical Research Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA. 7Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA. 8Indiana University School of Medicine & Indiana University Health, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. 9Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA. 10National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA. 11National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.
Authors
Barnhart H, Bonkovsky H, Chalasani N, Dellinger A, Fontana RJ, Gu J, Hoofnagle JH, Kleiner DE, Lammert C, Li YJ, Navarro V, Nicoletti P, Phillips E, Schwantes-An TH
Studies

Abstract

Background & aims: Nitrofurantoin (NTF) is widely used for the treatment (short-term) and prevention (long-term) of urinary tract infections. We aimed to describe the clinical characteristics, outcomes, and HLA risk factors for NTF-induced liver injury (NTF-DILI) among individuals enrolled in the Drug Induced Liver Injury Network (DILIN). Methods: Seventy-eight individuals with definite, highly likely, or probable NTF-DILI were enrolled into DILIN studies between 2004-2020. HLA alleles were compared between NTF-DILI and three control groups: population (n = 14,001), idiopathic autoimmune hepatitis (n = 231), and non-NTF DILI (n = 661). Results: Liver injury was hepatocellular in 69% and icteric in 55%. AST > ALT was more common in the 44 long-exposure (?1 year) NTF-DILI cases than in the 18 short (?7 days) and 16 intermediate (>7 to <365 days) exposure cases (73% vs. 33% vs. 50%, respectively, p = 0.018), as was ANA or SMA positivity (91% vs. 44% vs. 50%, respectively, p <0.001), and corticosteroid use (61% vs. 27% vs. 44%, respectively, p = 0.06). In long-term NTF-DILI, bridging fibrosis, nodularity or cirrhosis, or clinical and imaging evidence for cirrhosis were present in 38%, with massive or sub-massive necrosis in 20%. No one in the short-term exposure group died or underwent transplantation, whereas 7 (12%) patients from the other groups died or underwent transplantation. After covariate adjustments, HLA-DRB1?11:04 was significantly more frequent in NTF-DILI compared to population controls (odds ratio [OR] 4.29, p = 1.15 × 10-4), idiopathic autoimmune hepatitis (OR 11.77, p = 7.76 × 10-5), and non-NTF DILI (OR 3.34, p = 0.003). Conclusion: NTF-DILI can result in parenchymal necrosis, bridging fibrosis, cirrhosis, and death or liver transplantation, especially with long-term exposure, and is associated with HLA-DRB1?11:04. To mitigate against serious liver injury associated with NTF, regulators should revise the prescribing information and consider other mitigation strategies. Impact and implications: Nitrofurantoin is a recognized cause of drug-induced liver injury (DILI). In this study consisting of a large cohort of well-phenotyped individuals with nitrofurantoin-induced liver injury, two distinct patterns of liver injury were identified: liver injury associated with short-term exposure, which is generally self-limiting, and liver injury associated with long-term exposure, which can lead to advanced fibrosis, cirrhosis and liver failure. HLA DRB1?11:04 is a risk factor for liver injury due to long-term nitrofurantoin exposure. Our findings are important for regulators as well as physicians prescribing and pharmacists dispensing nitrofurantoin.