Azathioprine liver toxicity in dogs

Azathioprine (AZA) is used as an immunosuppressive drug in both human and veterinary medicine. AZA is commonly used in dogs to treat immune-mediated hemolytic anemia, immune-mediated thrombocytopenia, and other immune-mediated diseases. The use of AZA is limited by the risk of hepatotoxicosis, which can be either idiosyncratic or dose-dependent in humans. Idiosyncratic hepatotoxicosis from AZA is relatively rare. In contrast, dose-dependent AZA hepatotoxicosis occurs in 4 to 24% of human patients and is defined by an alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activity greater than 2-fold the upper limit of the reference range in patients with previously normal liver values.
Source: Advances in Small Animal Medicine and Surgery - Category: Veterinary Research Tags: Critical Care Source Type: research