Vitamin a hepatotoxicity in multiple family members

✍ Scribed by Gerald Y. Minuk; James K. Kelly; Wei-Sek Hwang

• Book ID: 102849333
• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1988
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 502 KB
• Volume: 8
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0270-9139
• DOI: 10.1002/hep.1840080214

✦ Synopsis

Three of five family members experienced symptoms and biochemical evidence of hepatitis that could not be explained on the basis of infectious, metabolic or immunologic disorders of the liver. A history of prolonged ingestion of moderate amounts of vitamin A (20,000 to 45,000 IU per day for 7 to 10 years) was obtained in each of the three family members and was absent in the remaining two unaffected individuals. A liver biopsy performed in one family member confirmed the diagnosis of vitamin A toxicity. This report emphasizes the finding that even moderate amounts of vitamin A, when ingested over a prolonged period of time, can cause significant hepatocellular injury.