Scientists from some leading American universities and the US Department of Veterans Affairs have identified 17 drugs that have the most negative impact on liver health. Research results It was published In JAMA Internal Medicine.
The researchers analyzed electronic health record data from nearly 8 million people provided by the U.S. Veterans Health Administration. Participant data was collected from 2000 to 2021. The scientists compiled a list of the 194 most commonly prescribed medications in the United States and tracked the impact of those medications on the health of people who did not have liver or biliary tract disease.
The study authors also recorded 1,739 hospitalizations for severe acute liver failure among participants in the study population, with a wide range of frequency depending on the medications taken.
The scientists found that 17 drugs posed the greatest risk to liver health, 11 of which were not previously classified as highly toxic to the liver. Metronidazole, used to treat giardiasis, trichomonas vaginitis, and stomach and duodenal ulcers, was thought to be dangerous.
The group of drugs with high hepatotoxicity also includes stavudine (antiviral), erlotinib (used to treat pancreatic and lung cancer), lenalidomide or thalidomide (antitumor); chlorpromazine (antipsychotic); prochlorperazine (antipsychotic) and isoniazid (anti-tuberculosis drug).
The researchers also named eight types of drugs that are least toxic to the liver, including some statins (cholesterol-lowering drugs), antibiotics and antifungals.
Previously Found It is a rare metabolic disorder that causes inflammation of the liver.