Autoimmune Hepatitis Associated With Turmeric Consumption
Brian S. Lee, Taruna Bhatia, Charles Chaya, Robert Wen, Mark T. Taira, Brian S. Lim
Abstract
Turmeric is a popular herbal dietary supplement that has been considered safe and even shown to have hepatoprotective properties. In the recent times, however, there have been a few case reports of turmeric-induced liver injury. We report a 55-year-old woman with chronic turmeric consumption whose initial diagnosis was acute autoimmune hepatitis. She declined steroid treatment, and hence, we recommended discontinuing her long-term turmeric usage. A month after discontinuation, her liver function returned to normal. This case demonstrates the importance of recognizing the potential adverse effects of herbal dietary supplement.
Topics & Concepts
MedicineAutoimmune hepatitisDiscontinuationCurcuminAdverse effectAcute hepatitisHepatitisConsumption (sociology)Hepatitis a virusTraditional medicineLiver functionInternal medicineImmunologyPharmacologySociologySocial scienceVirusCurcumin's Biomedical ApplicationsDrug-Induced Hepatotoxicity and ProtectionLiver Diseases and Immunity