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Lethal enhancement of therapeutic doses of acetaminophen by alcohol

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Summary

A 47-year-old man undergoing supervised alcohol detoxification developed severe liver disease after receiving small doses of acetaminophen. Autopsy revealed extensive hepatic necrosis. Proposed mechanisms for alcohol potentiation of acetaminophen hepatotoxicity are described. We feel acetaminophen should not be routinely used for patients with active alcoholism unless its safety can be established.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medicine, Cambridge Hospital, 1493 Cambridge Street, 02139, Cambridge, Massachusetts

    Paul B. Lesser MD, Mark M. Vietti MD & William D. Clark MD

  2. Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts

    Paul B. Lesser MD, Mark M. Vietti MD & William D. Clark MD

Authors
  1. Paul B. Lesser MD
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  2. Mark M. Vietti MD
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  3. William D. Clark MD
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Lesser, P.B., Vietti, M.M. & Clark, W.D. Lethal enhancement of therapeutic doses of acetaminophen by alcohol. Digest Dis Sci 31, 103–105 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01347918

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01347918

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