SEVERE CHOLESTATIC JAUNDICE ASSOCIATED WITH PIROXICAM

A 62-year-old man with rheumatoid arthritis developed jaundice while taking piroxicam. A full evaluation including ultrasound, computerized tomography, endoscopic cholangiography, and liver biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of intrahepatic cholestasis. The patient's jaundice and all other liver function abnormalities normalized 4 months after he discontinued taking piroxicam. This is the first case report in the United States of severe liver toxicity associated with piroxicam. The six cases in the English-language literature are reviewed, featuring the presentation, patterns of liver injury, and outcome in each. Piroxicam should be considered as a potential cause of cholestatic jaundice when other more common etiologies have been excluded. © 1991.