Hepatotoxicity is a term
used to describe damage to the liver caused by a medicine, chemical, or dietary supplement, or it can also be a side effect of HIV drugs. The liver’s role in the body is to filter substances, such as medicines, from the blood. Liver damage occurs when the liver is bombarded with more toxins than it can deal with and ultimately causes the liver to underfunction.
Signs of liver damage include stomach pain, tiredness, nausea, jaundice, dark urine, and fever. Liver damage, and hepatotoxicity, are diagnosed through many different types of tests including blood tests such as bilirubin or liver enzymes, a liver biopsy, CT scans, and more.
Some 900 drugs have been determined to cause liver injury. There is no cure or treatment for liver damage, and management of hepatotoxicity varies depending on the amount of damage and the cause. In most cases, the drug thought to be causing the damage is discontinued, and drugs to reduce symptoms may also be prescribed.
If you already have liver damage, alcohol, acetaminophen, drugs to treat high cholesterol, and any medication that has previously caused liver issues, should be avoided as they are known to exacerbate the problem.
If you are an organization that needs a laboratory to perform hepatotoxicity testing or scientific research, call us at 1-855-377-6821, or submit a test request on our website.
