Fatal Liver Disease after Intravenous Administration of Tetracycline in High Dosage

SIX young women who had the signs and symptoms of acute pyelonephritis associated with pregnancy died with liver disease. The illnesses were characterized by rapid progression and the combination of nausea, vomiting, wide swings in temperature, jaundice, acidosis, azotemia, hematemesis, melena and terminal hypotension. All the patients had received tetracycline hydrochloride intravenously in greater than the usually recommended dosages.Toxic reactions to antibiotics of the tetracycline group are predominantly gastrointestinal.1 Angular stomatitis, pharyngitis, dysphagia, epigastric distress, anorexia and nausea have been noted. Perhaps less frequently observed are the inflammatory complications secondary to alterations of the flora in the vagina, rectum . . .