The liver is our body’s natural detoxifier. Keeping your liver healthy is essential for your overall health as it can help the body fight various ailments that it encounters. However, this is also the reason why the liver is also one of the most frequently injured organs in our body. It can be harmed through abdominal trauma and the abuse of substances for a long time. Liver injuries can range from mild and non-detectable to severe.
However, out of the several classes and types of liver diseases, drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is one of the most common and can be caused by nearly all classes of medication. Drug-induced hepatotoxicity is the most frequent cause of acute liver failure around the world.
DILI is a range of liver diseases that are caused by over-the-counter or OTC medicines, vitamins,
herbs, physician-prescribed medications, drugs, and environmental toxins. Abnormalities of
drug-induced liver diseases are similar to conditions that are caused by other agents like viruses.
These diseases vary widely in severity with a range of effects like
Drug-Induced Liver Injury has a number of risk factors associated with it that make it affect
women more than men. In fact, adults are at higher risk than children.
Direct Hepatotoxicity : It occurs when you consume a drug that is intrinsically toxic to
the liver. In most cases, the injury starts appearing within 5 days of consuming the drug.
Idiosyncratic Hepatotoxicity : A rare case in which a drug causes injury to the liver, but
is usually unpredictable because of a rather low incidence rate.
Indirect Hepatotoxicity : In this case, the drug promotes liver injury as part of its
mechanism of action. The drug prompts the patient’s immune system to attack the liver.
Our liver breaks down substances that we consume, including medications, herbs, and
supplements. This process usually takes place efficiently without any harm. However, this
process is slower in some people, making them more susceptible to damage to the liver. At
times, even small doses can cause hepatitis, while large doses can damage a normal liver. People
who consume alcohol on a regular basis are also more prone to liver injuries even with simple
medications like pain killers and fever medicines, as these drugs contain acetaminophen.
Antibiotics are the most common cause of drug-induced liver injury, followed by
neuropsychiatric drugs, immunomodulatory agents, antihypertensives, analgesics, antineoplastic
drugs, and lipid-lowering agents.
Existing medical conditions like chronic liver diseases and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease
(NAFLD) increase the risk of developing DILI. Alcoholism and Diabetes are other crucial risk
factors for DILI.
In the current situation of the global COVID 19 pandemic, patients recovering from the virus or
treated of the condition have complained about developing conditions of the liver as an after
effect. This can be attributed to both, the viral action on the liver and the horde of medicines that
were administered to these patients.
While mild drug-induced diseases have few to no symptoms, patients at a severe stage develop a
range of symptoms, such as
While most occurrences of DILI are curable, cases like acute hepatitis can be severe enough to
cause acute liver failure. In such a scenario, liver transplant surgery is the best treatment
possible. For a better understanding and consultation on the matter, get in touch with Dr Vivek
Vij, the most renowned expert on liver transplants in India
Book your appointment today.
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