Turkish Journal of Geriatrics 2011 , Vol 14, Issue 1
POSSIBLE ELEVATION OF TRANSAMINASES WITH DONEPEZIL IN A CASE WITH DEMENTIA OF THE ALZHEIMER'S TYPE
Erol ARSLAN1, İrfan YAVAŞOĞLU1, Fatih ÖZÇELİK2, Selim NALBANT3
1Balmumcu Jandarma Dispanseri, İç Hastalıkları Servisi, İSTANBUL
2Gümüşsuyu Asker Hastanesi, Biyokimya Servisi, İSTANBUL
3GATA Haydarpaşa Eğitim Hastanesi, İç Hastalıkları Servisi, İSTANBUL
The use of donepezil is usually safe and well tolerated in Alzheimer's disease and hepatotoxicity is very rare. A 79-year old female patient was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and prescribed donepezil 5 mg/day. Shortly after starting the therapy, her transaminase levels were found to be elevated. This hepatic enzyme elevation was thought to be due to donepezil use. As transaminase levels may increase with use of donepezil in Alzheimer's disease, monitoring is crucial. Keywords : Alzheimer Disease/drug therapy; Transaminase; Donepezil/therapeutic use