Hepatic veno-occlusive disease associated with ingestion of Senecio tephrosioides

A case of hepatic veno-occlusive disease (HVOD) in a 38 year-old woman is reported. She had occasionally consumed "Huamanrripa" (Senecio tephrosioides) as a cough remedy for many years. She was hospitalized because she had presented abdominal pain, jaundice and anasarca during 10 weeks. The histological studies of hepatic biopsy showed pronounced congestion to centrilobulillar predominance, focus of necrosis and a reversed lobulation pattern in some areas. In the next 13 months she was hospitalized four times due to complications of portal hypertension. This is the first reported case of HVOD associated with S tephrosioides ingestion. It is very probable that this plant used in peruvian traditional medicine contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids, hepatic and nephrotoxic substances that are present in other species of Senecio genus. Due to present popularity of alternative medicine, an increment in HVOD incidence is expected.