Which medications are most toxic to the liver?

A new study published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology ¬provides insights on how common hospitalized patients develop liver injury from taking different medications.

When investigators analyzed the records of 156,570 hospitalized patients, they found 499 cases of drug-induced liver injury (DILI), for an incidence of 0.32%. Anti-infective agents, cancer medications, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs were the major categories of drugs causing DILI, and the highest incidence was due to voriconazole (an antifungal medication). Patients with high cholesterol, cardiovascular disease, pre-existing liver disease, and prior surgeries faced a higher risk of DILI.

"We have carried out DILI-related real-world study with the help of information technology to provide a more accurate reference for safe and rational drug use," said corresponding author DaiHong Guo, of the Chinese People's Liberation Army General Hospital, in Beijing.

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