Gold induced colitis and hepatic toxicity in a patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Abstract

We describe a case of severe colitis in a 40-year-old woman early in the course of intramuscular gold therapy for rheumatoid arthritis. Despite prompt withdrawal of gold, our patient required emergency laparotomy and bowel decompression. Incidental cholestatic hepatotoxicity, a further rare adverse reaction to gold, was also noted in our patient.