Cyanamide-induced liver injury. A predictable lesion.

Cyanamide, a drug frequently used for aversion therapy in chronic alcoholism, induces a liver-cell lesion consisting of cytoplasmic inclusion bodies, structurally similar to those of Lafora. In order to know how frequently the lesion is associated with the intake of this drug, a prospective study was carried out. A biopsy was performed in ten chronic alcoholic patients who had been treated with Cyanamide. Inclusion bodies were present in all patients (7 cases) whose biopsy was taken when they were on Cyanamide and in two other patients whose biopsies were taken 3 and 7 years after discontinuation of the treatment. Inclusion bodies were absent in one case who was treated for a short time and with a small dose and whose biopsy was performed 3 years after cessation of treatment. On the basis of these findings, the lesion may be considered to be predictable. The absence of inclusions in one patient may be explained by their disappearance after cessation of treatment.