Boy with hepatitis due to overdose of fever-reducing medicine

Quang Ninh: A 12-month-old boy had a high fever. His family gave him paracetamol at a dose of 400 mg/time, causing him to develop hepatitis and blood clotting disorders.

On January 26, a representative of the Pediatrics Department of the Vietnam - Sweden Uong Bi Hospital said that the baby boy weighed 11 kg and was admitted to the hospital in a state of drowsiness, crying, high fever, and vomiting a lot.

Three days ago, the baby had a high fever of 39 degrees Celsius, and his family gave him paracetamol at a dose of 400 mg/time, continuously for three days. According to the doctor, at the age and weight mentioned above, the paracetamol dosage for children is 10-15 mg/kg for one dose and a maximum of 60 mg/kg in one day. Each day, the dose should not exceed 4-6 times, with a 4-6 hour interval between doses. For the baby above, the dose given by his family was excessive, causing poisoning. Test results showed that the child had acute hepatitis with very high liver enzymes, accompanied by blood clotting disorders.

Doctors gave emergency treatment and detoxification to the child. Currently, the child's health is stable and will continue to be monitored.

Doctors also warn that overdose of paracetamol fever-reducing medicine in children can cause poisoning, which is very dangerous. The main reason is that families buy medicine for their children without a doctor's prescription. Some parents want their children to recover quickly, so they increase the dose of medicine for their children or use another child's prescription to give their children.

When a child has a fever, family members can reduce the fever by wiping the child's body with a warm towel, dressing the child in cool clothes, drinking plenty of water, eating a nutritious diet, and using fever-reducing medicine properly.

When using fever-reducing medicine for children, follow the instructions, avoid overuse and overdose which can harm the child's liver. If the child's fever still does not go down, take him to the hospital to see a doctor, find the cause and get appropriate treatment.

Nursing mothers should consult their physician before taking medication. Keep medication out of sight and reach of children, preferably in a locked cabinet.

Thuy An

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