Acetaminophen's Safety in Alcoholic Patients
Author Information
Author(s): Kuffner EK, Green JL, Bogdan GM, Knox PC, Palmer RB, Heard K, Slattery JT, Dart RC
Primary Institution: Rocky Mountain Poison & Drug Center, Denver Health, Denver, CO, USA
Hypothesis
Common liver tests would be unaffected by administration of the maximum recommended daily dosage of acetaminophen for 3 consecutive days to newly-abstinent alcoholic subjects.
Conclusion
Alcoholic patients treated with the maximum recommended daily dose of acetaminophen for 3 consecutive days did not develop increases in serum transaminase or other measures of liver injury.
Supporting Evidence
- 443 subjects were enrolled in the study.
- No significant difference in liver tests was found between the acetaminophen and placebo groups.
- The study had 95% power to detect a 15 IU/L difference in serum ALT.
Takeaway
Giving acetaminophen to people who just stopped drinking alcohol is safe and doesn't hurt their liver.
Methodology
A multicenter randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with alcoholic subjects receiving either acetaminophen or placebo for 3 days.
Potential Biases
Potential bias due to the exclusion of patients with higher baseline liver enzyme levels.
Limitations
The study only evaluated the maximum recommended daily dose of acetaminophen and did not include patients with severe liver disease.
Participant Demographics
Adult alcoholic subjects, with a mean age of 43 years, predominantly male (92%).
Statistical Information
Statistical Significance
p > 0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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