Paracetamol overdose ; all you should know
Paracetamol, also known as acetaminophen in the United States and Canada, is a widely used over-the-counter pain reliever and fever reducer. It has an excellent safety profile when administered in proper therapeutic doses, but hepatotoxicity can occur after overdose or when misused in at-risk populations. In the United States, acetaminophen toxicity has replaced viral hepatitis as he most common cause of acute liver failure and approximately 20 percent of liver transplant cases. The maximum recommended acetaminophen dosage is 4 grams/day in an adult and 90 mg/kg/day in children. People with underlying liver disease or those with chronic alcohol consumption are at an increased risk of developing hepatotoxicity (liver damage from chemicals) with use of acetaminophen. Toxicity Symptoms ; Most patients who overdose on acetaminophen will initially be asymptomatic, as clinical symptoms of end-organ toxicity do not manifest until 24-48 hours after an acute ingestion. Therefo...