Background: We present a case of acute rhabdomyolysis in the setting of interferon-β treatment and concomitant pomelo juice ingestion, with concern of possible pharmacological interaction, which has not yet been described in the literature.
Case presentation: A young Caucasian female with multiple sclerosis on chronic therapy with interferon-β presented with acute rhabdomyolysis after mild exercise and concomitant ingestion of pomelo extract. After stopping the suspected drugs, the signs of rhabdomyolysis diminished, the subsequent course was favorable.
Conclusions: The most probable cause of rhabdomyolysis in our patient could have been the combination of interferon effect, which down-regulates P450 expression, with inhibition of the P450 activity by furanocoumarin derivatives from pomelo juice. Therefore, patients treated with drugs that have a possible interaction with inhibitors of cytochrome P450 should be warned against pomelo ingestion. .