Carbimazole-induced cholestatic hepatitis in Graves′ disease

Abstract

Antithyroid medications are one of the treatment options for Graves' disease. Carbimazole is widely used as the drug of choice, except in pregnancy, where propythiouracil is preferred by many. It is generally well-tolerated. Its side-effects include allergy, upper gastrointestinal upset, a rare occurrence of granulocytosis, and others. Hepatitis is another rare, but serious side-effect. We report a healthy 30-year-old male patient with Graves' disease, who developed cholestatic jaundice after Carbimazole therapy for four months. He made a full recovery after the drug was discontinued. An idiosyncratic mechanism seemed likely.