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Va. (WVIR) – If you take medication, supplements or drink alcohol, a new UVA Health study has a warning. Calls to poison centers involving liver injuries caused by medications, supplements, alcohol and other substances jumped nearly 400% between 2000 and 2024, according to the study
Researchers examined liver damage caused by foreign substances not naturally found in the human body — a category that includes drugs, food additives, alcohol and environmental pollutants. The study identified a total of 220,160 cases over the 24-year period reviewed
More than 80% of the liver injuries required inpatient care, with the majority of cases stemming from medications. Acetaminophen was the most frequently implicated substance
“It’s really important to follow the instructions with acetaminophen,” Holstege said. “It’s a wonderful pharmaceutical agent. It’s been around for a long time. It’s safe if it’s used appropriately, but people need to read the instructions and take the medications as they’re supposed to. The other thing, and that’s with dosing — I worry about people taking larger doses. If a little bit is good, more is better, and that can really run into injuries with the liver.”
Researchers found that exposures from acetaminophen-containing combination drugs decreased significantly — by 60% to 85% — after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration imposed a cap on the amount of acetaminophen allowed in combination prescription products. By contrast, potentially harmful exposures to acetaminophen alone increased steadily over the 24-year period
Alcohol was the second leading cause of liver injuries. Drinking-related liver injuries were seen more frequently in men than women, but injuries increased in both sexes during the COVID-19 pandemic and have not stopped climbing since
Researchers also identified increases in liver injuries caused by stimulants, street drugs, herbal and dietary supplements, though these were far less common than injuries caused by acetaminophen and alcohol
UVA Health’s Blue Ridge Poison Center is available to answer questions about potential poison exposures 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The center can be reached at 1-800-222-1222 at no charge
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