Cholestatic jaundice due to methyldopa.

The occurrence of hepatitis in patients taking methyldopa was first described over 10 years ago (Gillespie et al., 1962). Though the degree of bile retention in puiblished case reports varies considerably (Tysell and Knauer, 1971) the clinical picture described is generally indistinguishable from viral hepatitis. When the following patient was seen drug-induced jaundice was suspected but as we could find no documented case of cholestatic jaundice attributable to methyldopa laparotomy was undertaken. It is, however, apparent that methyldopa should be included among drugs that can produce "pure" cholestatic jaundice (Toghill et al., 1974).