On October 15, information from the Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases said that recently, this unit received and treated critically ill patients due to using herbal medicine of unknown origin to treat their illness.
Accordingly, patient BTH (47-year-old female in Lac Son, Hoa Binh) was brought to the hospital in a state of severe liver failure on the basis of hepatitis B virus cirrhosis accompanied by pneumonia, with a very high risk of hepatic coma, abdominal distension, jaundice, and yellow eyes.
According to the patient's family, he did not know he had hepatitis B. Last August, the patient experienced increasing abdominal distension and was diagnosed with hepatitis B, which had progressed to cirrhosis.
Patient in critical condition after taking herbal medicine of unknown origin to treat illness. Photo: BVCC.
However, the patient did not take the medicine prescribed by the doctor but bought herbal medicine of unknown origin to treat the disease. After 10 days of taking herbal medicine, the patient began to experience jaundice, increasing yellowing of the eyes, fatigue, poor appetite, and a bloated abdomen.
In early September, the patient was taken to a local medical facility for treatment with cirrhosis and ascites, liver function reaching 15%, so abdominal fluid was drained. The patient was then transferred to the Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases in the following conditions: severe liver failure on the basis of hepatitis B cirrhosis accompanied by pneumonia, liver enzymes increased more than 11 times, and obvious jaundice and yellow eyes. Liver function was only 13.6% and there was a very high risk of hepatic coma.
After 2 weeks of treatment, the patient had a disturbance of consciousness and was lethargic, so he was transferred to the Intensive Care Unit and had to be placed on a ventilator. However, the patient did not respond to the medication and his condition became more critical. The family requested that the patient be transferred to home care.
Luckier than patient H, patient BTQ, 34 years old (also from Hoa Binh) was taken to the local hospital in a state of fatigue and poor appetite. Here, the patient was diagnosed with hepatitis B and prescribed regular antiviral medication.
After 4 months of taking the medicine, the patient stopped taking it on his own and switched to using Solanum procumbens, Gynostemma pentaphyllum, and An xoa to detoxify the liver. However, the patient later developed fatigue, poor appetite, and unusual jaundice and was admitted to a nearby hospital with a diagnosis of acute liver failure on the basis of hepatitis B.
After 5 days of treatment, the patient's condition did not improve, so he was transferred to the Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases with symptoms of jaundice and yellow eyes increasing more than 20 times, acute liver failure, liver function reaching 49%, and liver enzyme index increasing 25 times higher than normal.
After 3 weeks of treatment, the patient's liver failure condition improved, fortunately not life-threatening.
Be careful when using herbal medicine of unknown origin
Dr. Nguyen Quang Huy, Department of Hepatitis, Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases, said that to know if they have hepatitis B or not, people can go to local medical facilities such as district hospitals, county hospitals, preventive medicine centers, vaccine centers, provincial hospitals... to do HBsAg testing.
If HBsAg is positive, the patient is diagnosed with hepatitis B and needs regular treatment at an infectious disease specialist or hepatobiliary specialist.
According to Dr. Huy, people with chronic hepatitis B usually feel healthy and have no symptoms. Therefore, patients are often subjective and the disease will progress without knowing.
According to doctors, currently, the specific treatment for hepatitis B is antiviral drugs that help inhibit the hepatitis B virus. There are many different antiviral drugs, suitable for each specific patient. Therefore, experts recommend that patients should visit and discuss with their doctor to come up with the most appropriate treatment plan for their disease.
" People with hepatitis B need to follow the regular check-up schedule as scheduled by a specialist. This is extremely important, helping patients discuss their condition with their doctor, as well as promptly detect the stage of the disease for treatment, preventing complications such as liver failure, cirrhosis, and liver cancer from occurring ," Dr. Huy emphasized.
Source: https://giadinh.suckhoedoisong.vn/nguoi-phu-nu-47-tuoi-o-hoa-binh-nguy-kich-do-dung-cach-nay-chua-viem-gan-b-172241015143937584.htm
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