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Case Reports
. 2024 May 7;14(3):55-59.
doi: 10.55729/2000-9666.1332. eCollection 2024.

Turmeric-induced Liver Injury

Fadi Alghzawi  1 , Robert Jones  2 , Christopher J Haas  3
Affiliations
Case Reports

Turmeric-induced Liver Injury

Fadi Alghzawi et al. J Community Hosp Intern Med Perspect. .

Abstract

The use of herbal and dietary supplements has gained an increasing foothold in the United States. While often touted as safer alternatives to more traditional "western" therapeutics, the pharmacology and pharmacokinetics of these substances, their interactions with other medications, their purity, and individual pharmacogenomics, remain unknown. Turmeric is a popular supplement that has been demonstrated to be safe, and even hepatoprotective. Recently, however, there have been several reports of turmeric-induced liver injury. We report a case of drug-induced liver injury due to turmeric that was complicated by acute liver failure and hepatorenal syndrome.

Keywords: DILI; Liver injury; Turmeric.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of interest: All authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Graphic distribution of liver functions tests. Trend in liver function tests pre-hospitalization and during the patient hospital course. Initial elevation of liver enzymes (black arrow). Improvement of liver enzymes upon temporary discontinuation of turmeric use (green arrow).
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Histopathology (A) Hematoxylin and eosin staining (40x magnification) demonstrated abundant inflammatory cells and necrosis in association with the central vein (arrowhead). (B) Trichrome staining (40x magnification) demonstrated evidence of bridging fibrosis (arrow).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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