Liver injury associated with Acetaminophen: A Review

Abstract

The most widely prescribed pain and fever reliever in both the United States and Europe is acetaminophen, also referred to as paracetamol. It is included on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medications, which includes the best and safest medications required in a healthcare system. Although acetaminophen overdose has been related to fatal and nonfatal hepatic necrosis since 1966, it is generally safe when used at standard therapeutic levels (up to 4000 mg per 24 hours). It involves fundamental metabolic pathways that actually occur on microsomes in hepatocytes, and overdosing on acetaminophen causes liver damage followed by liver failure. The typical acetaminophen overdose remedy is N-acetylcysteine (NAC), which is administered to all patients at high risk of liver toxicity. The standard of therapy is NAC medication, although for some people, liver transplantation may be a life-saving procedure. We shall explore the safety of acetaminophen in associated with liver injury in this review article, particularly in terms of epidemiology, pharmacokinetic, hepatotoxicity, clinical presentation, and the treatment.