TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2015//
TI  - Acetaminophen (paracetamol) induced acute liver failure - a social problem in an era of increasing tendency to self-treatment
JO  - Annals of agricultural and environmental medicine
A1  - Wróblewski, Tadeusz
A1  - Kobryń, Konrad
A1  - Kozieł, Sławomir
A1  - Ołdakowska-Jedynak, Urszula
A1  - Pinkas, Jarosław
A1  - Danielewicz, Roman
A1  - Ziarkiewicz-Wróblewska, Bogna
A1  - Krawczyk, Marek
SP  - 762
EP  - 7667
VL  - 22
IS  - 4
N2  - INTRODUCTION: The widespread availability of medication without prescription, so-called over the counter (OTC), and the rapid development of health consciousness of Poles is associated with broad access to medical information in the mass media. This causes patients to recognize their own disease, cancel doctor's appointments, and begin self-treatment. This time and money-saving behavior, often signaled by pain, usually leads to the treatment of symptoms alone, without seeking the cause of the disease.The aim of the study was to present life-threatening paracetamol poisoning, and the treatment of acute liver failure. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In 2002-2014, 35 patients were hospitalized due to acute paracetamol poisoning: 17 female and 18 male patients aged between 17-59 (mean 32.3 years). Patients were treated in the surgical intensive care unit, where their parameters of liver and renal function were continuously monitored. If there was no improvement in the liver function, patients underwent albumin dialysis with the Prometheus system and were qualified for liver transplantation (LTx). <br><br>RESULTS: 26 patients were treated pharmacologically and 7 out of 9 patients who underwent LTx were dialyzed. Overall, 11 patients had 26 albumin dialysis in total; 4 patients died - 1 post-transplant and 3 pre-transplant. <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: Paracetamol is the cause of many poisonings resulting from the lack of public awareness about toxic interactions with alcohol, and suicide attempts. Acetaminophen-induced acute liver failure concerns a small percentage of patients but can be successfully treated with albumin dialysis, and in extreme cases by liver transplantation.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 1232-1966
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.5604/12321966.1185790
ID  - ref1
ER  -