Taking more acetaminophen (paracetamol) than recommended in a day, although the additional amount is small, can eventually lead to a cumulative overdose can be lethal.
That is the warning from researchers at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, who reviewed 161 cases of cumulative overdose in hospital for a period of six years.
They found that a dangerous dose may consist of only a few tablets taken regularly for days, weeks or months.
Acetaminophen, whose names include Panadol, Tylenol and Anacin, is a non-inflammatory pain reliever commonly used in much of the world that can be bought without prescription.
But as scientists say, many people take without realizing too many tablets of this medicine for chronic pain.
And it is very difficult to recognize the symptoms of an overdose can cause cumulative liver damage.
The research, published in British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology (British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology), says that this type of injury in the liver, which may put at risk of death, easily go unnoticed by doctors and patients.
Doctors initially could not detect the problem because the blood tests show no levels 'unreasonably high' of acetaminophen overdose are seen with conventional, in which a person voluntarily ingested several packets of the drug.
As the researchers explain, patients who have a cumulative overdose usually results show more harmful than those taking large overdoses.
Dr. Kenneth Simpson and his team analyzed the medical records of 663 patients who had been referred to the Unit Scottish Liver Transplantation University Hospital due to acetaminophen-induced liver injury.
Liver problems and brain
The 161 patients who had taken an overdose were more likely cumulative develop liver problems and brain and need kidney dialysis or assisted ventilation.
They were also more likely to die from complications.
'These patients had not taken the type of overdose momentary ingest massive single people trying to commit suicide' says Dr Simpson.
'But over time the damage accumulates and the effect can be fatal' he adds.
And the problem may even be worse if the patient reaches the hospital a day after taking an overdose, it may be at greater risk of dying or needing a liver transplant.
Dr. Simpson believes that because the measurement of acetaminophen in the blood is a bad indicator of the status of the patient who suffers a cumulative overdose, physicians need to urgently find new ways to analyze whether a patient can be sent to your home, you need treatment doctor to counteract the overdose of acetaminophen, or you must consider for a liver transplant.
Professor Roger Knaggs of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society says it is necessary to make patients aware of this potential risk.
'If people experience pain and paracetamol does not help, instead of thinking of taking another dose for relief, should consult a pharmacist for a method of alternative pain control or be referred to someone who can help fight the cause of his pain, "says the expert.
'The message is clear: if you take more acetaminophen than is recommended will not improve your pain control but can seriously damage your health'.
'At this time of year people should also be careful with combinations of products to alleviate the cold or the flu, which may include acetaminophen in their ingredients' warns Professor Knaggs.
"It's easy to take more than indicated so if in doubt you should consult a pharmacist '.
BBC Mundo.com - All rights reserved. No kind of reproduction without written permission from the BBC.
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar