Liver enzymes increased more than 1,000 times due to taking drugs of unknown origin

Recently, the Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases has received many cases of patients with serious liver damage due to the use of drugs of unknown origin and improper application of traditional medicine in the wrong dosage.

The first case is patient NVT, a 57-year-old male in Hanoi, with a history of chronic gout for over 10 years, high blood pressure and diabetes that were not treated regularly. Due to prolonged fatigue, the patient bought concentrated oriental medicine pills on the internet for treatment with a 4-month course.

After taking the drug, he had to be hospitalized for treatment due to fatigue, jaundice and yellow eyes. During treatment, he was diagnosed with acute toxic hepatitis (drug poisoning) and acute kidney failure.

Although he had undergone plasma filtration four times and his liver enzymes had decreased, his jaundice did not improve and he was transferred to the Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases.

Here, the indicators showed that his jaundice was 20 times higher than normal. The use of drugs of unknown origin caused liver damage and impaired liver function.

In addition, suffering from many underlying diseases such as high blood pressure and diabetes for many years has made Mr. T's body weaker, less responsive to treatment, and the risk of complications and death also increases.

The second case is a male patient, (T. L), 59 years old in Hanoi. In the past 2 weeks, he felt tired, had increasing jaundice and yellow eyes, and had a lack of clarity in his speech.

After 10 days of treatment at a medical facility without improvement, the patient went to the Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases and was diagnosed with acute liver failure along with the first detection of hepatitis B.

Tests showed that the patient's liver enzymes were more than 1,000 times higher than normal, and the cholestasis leading to jaundice and yellow eyes was more than 30 times higher than normal. The blood clotting index was also very low.

Medical history showed that he and his family were unaware of his previous hepatitis B status due to lack of regular check-ups and hepatitis screening.

The family also said that in the past 2 years, he has been drinking papaya flowers soaked in honey to improve his health. According to Dr. Vu Thi Huong Giang, Department of Hepatitis, Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases, patient L. is being diagnosed with acute liver failure and an outbreak of hepatitis B virus activity.

With the current situation, the mortality rate is up to 80%. If patients with hepatitis B had been detected earlier through regular screening and testing and had been well managed, this serious condition could have been prevented.

Dr. Giang shared that both patients above made unfortunate mistakes. One used drugs of unknown origin, the other used traditional medicine incorrectly, not following the specialist's instructions, leading to high liver enzymes and severe cholestasis.

This is a really dangerous problem, especially for people with underlying diseases. Therefore, regular check-ups, screening for the cause of viral hepatitis and following treatment as directed by your doctor are very important. This will help detect and manage the disease promptly, avoiding unfortunate consequences.

Dr. Giang also noted that people should avoid using drugs of unknown origin and only use drugs certified by reputable medical facilities. When using traditional medicine, it is necessary to consult a specialist to determine the appropriate dosage.

In particular, patients with underlying medical conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes need to be monitored and treated promptly to reduce the risk of serious complications.

Source: https://baodautu.vn/men-gan-tang-hon-1000-lan-vi-uong-thuoc-khong-ro-nguon-goc-d221106.html