The Link Between Hydralazine & Cholestatic Jaundice

Hydralazine is a prescription medication used to treat high blood pressure. Side effects associated with the drug are usually minor and temporary. Severe adverse reactions have been reported but are rare. Drugs.com lists intrahepatic cholestatic jaundice as an infrequently occurring, serious side effect of hydralazine use.

Intrahepatic Cholestasis

• The liver produces bile and releases it into the digestive system, where it breaks down fat. According to the Merck Manual, cholestasis is the stoppage or slowing of bile flow. The type of cholestasis associated with hydralazine originates in the liver and is called intrahepatic cholestasis.

Jaundice

• According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), jaundice is a yellowing of the skin, mucous membranes or eyes and results when abnormal liver function causes a buildup of bilirubin, a yellow pigment, in the blood. Normally, bilirubin produced by the liver mixes with bile before being secreted into the digestive tract. When bile flow stops or slows, the yellow pigment accumulates in the blood.

Drug-Induced Cholestasis

• Drug-induced cholestasis is inhibited bile flow caused by medications. Hydralazine is not the only drug linked to the condition. The NIH lists penicillin-based antibiotics, anabolic steroids, tricyclic antidepressants and oral contraceptives as some of the many drugs associated with cholestatic jaundice. According to the NIH, stopping the drug usually reverses the condition, although full recovery may take many months.