 |
|
Is Acetaminophen Really Safe in Alcoholic Patients?
|
|
| Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings. |
|
|
|
The study of acetaminophen toxicity by Kuffner et al1
may underestimate the actual risk in alcoholic patients. Depletion of hepatic
glutathione and induction of P450-CYP2E1 are the most important factors that
predispose to acetaminophen toxicity. Fasting and malnutrition further decrease
hepatic glutathione and contribute to acetaminophen toxicity.2
In contrast, acute ethanol exposure does not appear to be a predisposing factor
to acetaminophen toxicity.
The impact of alcohol on acetaminophen toxicity reflects the duration
and degree of the alcohol abuse. However, the study by Kuffner et al excludes
the alcoholic subjects who are likely to be at highest risk. Patients with
aspartate aminotransferase or alanine aminotransferase values greater than
120 U/L were excluded. In addition, only 24% of the study population had been
actively drinking for more than 6 months; more than 50% had been actively
drinking for 4 weeks or less, and half of these had been actively drinking
less . . . [Full Text of this Article]
 CiteULike  Connotea  Del.icio.us  Digg  Reddit  Technorati  Twitter
What's this?
RELATED ARTICLE
Effect of Maximal Daily Doses of Acetaminophen on the Liver of Alcoholic Patients: A Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial
Edwin K. Kuffner, Richard C. Dart, Gregory M. Bogdan, Robert E. Hill, Edmund Casper, and Lisa Darton
Arch Intern Med. 2001;161(18):2247-2252.
ABSTRACT
| FULL TEXT
THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES
|
Osteoarthritis of the knee.
Weinstein et al.
NEJM 2006;354:2508-2509.
FULL TEXT
Alcohol and Acetaminophen Hepatotoxicity
Dart and Kuffner
Arch Intern Med 2003;163:244-245.
FULL TEXT
|
