Tests
for drug induced liver injury
There is no specific test for drug-induced liver injury (DILI). Doctors usually diagnose it by ruling out other liver conditions.
The information on this page is for:
- Adults and children with DILI or suspected DILI.
- Family, friends, carers, and healthcare professionals.
On this page:
Medicines list
If the doctor suspects drug-induced liver injury, they will ask for a list of all medicines you or your child have taken in the last 3 to 6 months. This includes:
- medicines prescribed by a doctor
- medicines bought from a pharmacy
- herbal, natural or alternative medicines
- recreational drugs
It is important that you tell the doctor about all the medicines. Even if they seem unlikely to have caused the problem. Sometimes one medicine can unexpectedly change the way another medicine works.
The doctor might recommend stopping or changing medicine. If the liver improves after stopping a medicine, it likely caused the liver injury.
Always talk to the doctor before stopping a prescription medicine. It is important to make sure that there is a plan to deal with whatever the medicine was prescribed for.
Other possible tests
More tests may be needed, depending on the symptoms, to rule out other liver conditions. These may include:
Biopsy
The doctor may suggest a liver biopsy if it is not clear what is wrong. Or if drug-induced liver injury is not getting better as expected.
A doctor will numb an area of skin on the tummy and then use a needle to take a small sample of the liver. This sample can then be examined under a microscope to better understand the problem.
Viral hepatitis blood tests
Some types of liver disease are caused by viruses. These can be diagnosed using a blood test. This is often done if there are symptoms of extreme tiredness.
Bile duct tests
If there are symptoms like itching, jaundice, or tummy pain, tests should be done to check for bile duct issues. For example, gallstones. This will usually be blood tests and ultrasound scans.
Other imaging tests
Other imaging tests include:
- MRI scans
- CT scans
- MRCP
The doctor might want to do imaging tests to get a better picture of the liver.
Keeping track of medicines
Always keep a record of all medicines and how often they are taken.
You could keep this in a notebook or as a note on your phone or computer.
Write down:
- The name of the medicine as it is written on the packet.
- The date you or your child started taking it.
- The dosage – this will be a number followed by some letters
- e.g. 500ug, 200µg, 75mg.
- How much is taken and whether that has changed e.g. 1 pill, 3 times a day. Or, 2 pills, once a day.
- Did you or your child always take every dose, or was it sometimes missed?
- If you or your child are no longer taking the medicine, how long was it taken for? e.g. Just once. Or, for two weeks
TIP: The names and dosages of medicines are often complicated. A quick way to keep a record of these is to take a photo of the packet or label.
Names for different types of drug-induced liver injury
Doctors often refer to drug-induced liver injury as “DILI”.
They might also give your DILI different names. This depends on which part of the liver is damaged and which medicine caused the problem.
Here are some words they might use and what they mean.
Idiosyncratic: DILI that develops after taking a medicine that was not thought to cause DILI.
Hepatocellular: DILI that has caused damage to liver cells (hepatocytes). The main symptom of hepatocellular DILI is feeling very tired.
Cholestatic: DILI that has caused damage to the bile ducts. The main symptoms are itching, jaundice (a yellow colour to the skin or eyes) and pain on the right-hand side under the ribs.
Mixed pattern: DILI that has symptoms of both hepatocellular and cholestatic DILI.
Autoimmune DILI: DILI that has caused the immune system to make antibodies that attack the liver.
Support
How Liver UK can help
A diagnosis of liver disease can be worrying, and you may have a lot of questions.
We're here for you and for your family and friends. Whether you have questions or just need someone to listen, we can help.
Your feedback
This content was last reviewed: February 2026
Our expert reviewers:
We would like to thank everyone who helped with creating and reviewing this page. Including Catherine Wood, virtual hepatology nurse specialist. Dr Hyder Hussaini, consultant hepatologist. And all our patient reviewers.
Find out how we make our patient information.
Everyone’s experience of liver disease will be different. Always talk to your specialist medical team for personal advice.
More from Liver UK
Check your risk
Find out more
Support us
Find out more
Keep up to date
Find out more