Referral patterns and social deprivation in paracetamol-induced liver injury in Scotland

Philip Newsome, AJ Bathgate, NC Henderson, AJ MacGilchrist, JN Plevris, G Masterton, OJ Garden, A Lee, PC Hayes, KJ Simpson

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

26 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Paracetamol overdose is the commonest cause of acute liver failure in the UK, which has led to measures to restrict its sale. We aimed to establish whether changes in the referral of patients with paracetamol-induced acute liver failure have occurred since the introduction of legislation. We compared data from patients admitted to the Scottish Liver Transplantation Unit in 1992-98 with those admitted in 1998-2001. The incidence of paracetamol-induced liver failure, severity of patients' illness, and outcome did not differ between the groups. Patients with paracetamol-induced acute liver failure had higher Carstairs scores (1.99 [95% CI 1.33-2.65]; n=190) than patients with non-paracetamol acute liver failure (0.02 [-0.79 to 0.84]; n=68). We have shown an association between paracetamol-induced acute liver failure and social deprivation.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1612-3
Number of pages2
JournalLancet
Volume358
Issue number9293
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 10 Nov 2001

Keywords

  • Acetaminophen
  • Adult
  • Analgesics, Non-Narcotic
  • Drug Overdose
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Legislation, Drug
  • Liver Failure, Acute
  • Male
  • Prejudice
  • Referral and Consultation
  • Risk Factors
  • Scotland
  • Severity of Illness Index

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