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Treatments and drugs
By Mayo Clinic staffTreatments for toxic hepatitis include:
- Stopping exposure to the toxin. Doctors will work to determine what's causing your liver damage. Sometimes it's clear what's causing your symptoms, and other times it takes more detective work to determine a cause. In most cases, stopping exposure to the toxin causing liver inflammation will reduce the signs and symptoms you experience.
- A medication to reverse liver damage caused by acetaminophen. If your liver damage was caused by an overdose of acetaminophen, you'll receive a chemical called acetylcysteine. This antidote is most effective if administered within 16 hours of the acetaminophen overdose.
- Supportive care in a hospital. People with severe symptoms are likely to receive supportive therapy in the hospital, including intravenous fluids and medication to relieve nausea and vomiting.
- Liver transplant. When liver function is severely impaired, a liver transplant may be the only option for some people. A liver transplant is an operation to remove your diseased liver and replace it with a healthy liver from a donor. Most livers used in liver transplants come from deceased donors. In some cases, livers can come from living donors who donate a portion of their livers.
References
- Teoh NC, et al. Liver disease caused by drugs. In: Feldman M, et al. Sleisenger & Fordtran's Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease: Pathophysiology, Diagnosis, Management. 9th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2010. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/about.do?eid=4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-6189-2..X0001-7--TOP&isbn=978-1-4160-6189-2&about=true&uniqId=229999237-13. Accessed Nov. 11, 2010.
- Lewis JH. Liver disease caused by anesthetics, toxins and herbal preparations. In: Feldman M, et al. Sleisenger & Fordtran's Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease: Pathophysiology, Diagnosis, Management. 9th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2010. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/about.do?eid=4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-6189-2..X0001-7--TOP&isbn=978-1-4160-6189-2&about=true&uniqId=229999237-13. Accessed Nov. 11, 2010.
- Jones AL, et al. Hepatic toxicology. In: Shannon MW, et al. Haddad and Winchester's Clinical Management of Poisoning and Drug Overdose. 4th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/about.do?about=true&eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-7216-0693-4..50002-5&isbn=978-0-7216-0693-4&uniqId=226391226-4. Accessed Nov. 12, 2010.
- Guss DA, et al. Disorders of the liver and biliary tract. In: Marx JA, et al. Rosen's Emergency Medicine. 7th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby; 2009. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/about.do?eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05472-0..X0001-1--TOP&isbn=978-0-323-05472-0&about=true&uniqId=230052158-6. Accessed Nov. 11, 2010.
- Rodgers GC, et al. Poisonings. In: Kliegman RM. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 18th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/208746819-6/0/1608/0.html. Accessed Nov. 17, 2010.
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