What Doctors Don't Tell YouIs the drug you are taking liver toxic? Who knows.
A recent report suggests that liver toxicity has become a kind of catch all diagnosis which, at best, may be inaccurate and at worst may prevent the practitioner from looking for the real cause of illness (BMJ, 1999; 319: 1541).
Researchers examining reports of adverse drug reactions to the liver in the North of England found that of 138 reactions, only 52 could be called drug related; 65 were unrelated to the drug prescribed and 21 were of indeterminate cause.
Those liver problems which were unrelated to drug use such as the presence of a common bile duct stone, autoimmune hepatitis, alcoholic liver disease, lymphoma and paracetamol overdose often went undiagnosed.
The cause cited was lack of education among doctors.
Daniel Redwood DC
Tom Ferguson MD
