According to the Mayo Clinic, liver necrosis, also referred to as acute liver failure, occurs when your liver rapidly loses its ability to function. Unlike the more common liver failure, which develops slowly over years, acute liver failure develops in a relatively short period of time.
Symptoms of Liver Necrosis
Acute liver failure can develop quickly and is life threatening. Therefore, if you experience any of the symptoms of liver necrosis, you should contact your physician immediately. The symptoms of liver necrosis include the following:
- Changes in mental state, personality or behavior
- A yellowing of your skin and eyeballs (jaundice)
- Pain in the upper right area of your abdomen
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- A general sense of not feeling well
- Difficulty concentrating
- Disorientation or confusion
- Sleepiness
Acute liver failure can cause many complications, including excessive bleeding and increasing pressure in the brain. This condition is a medical emergency that requires hospitalization.
Causes of Liver Necrosis
The most common cause of acute liver failure in the United States is acetaminophen overdose; either from taking a very large dose of acetaminophen all at once or by taking higher-than-recommended doses every day for several days. Other causes of liver necrosis can include the following:
- Prescription medications – Some prescription medications, including antibiotics, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and anticonvulsants, can cause acute liver failure.
- Certain herbal drugs and supplements
- Hepatitis A, hepatitis B and hepatitis E, Epstein-Barr virus, cytomegalovirus and herpes simplex virus
- Toxins
- Autoimmune hepatitis
- Cancer
Some causes of acute liver failure can be reversed with treatment. But in other situations, a liver transplant may be the only cure for acute liver failure.
Overdose and Liver Necrosis
As previously mentioned, acetaminophen overdose is the most common cause of liver necrosis. The reason that acetaminophen overdose is so common is because there are many over-the-counter and prescribed medications that contain acetaminophen and people are often not diligent about checking each ingredient in every product to ensure that they are not taking too much acetaminophen.
However, there are other prescribed medications and illegal drugs that can cause acute liver failure; the most commonly recognized of these drugs is cocaine.
Treatment for Liver Necrosis
The most important treatment for drug-induced liver disease is stopping the drug that is causing the liver disease. When the drug is discontinued, the signs and symptoms of liver disease will often resolve and blood tests will become normal. In these cases, there is no long-term liver damage.
However, in the case of acetaminophen overdose, people are often treated with oral N-acetylcysteine to prevent severe liver necrosis and failure.
Get Help for Addiction, Overdose, and Liver Necrosis
It is very important to understand the prescribed medications and over-the-counter drugs that you are taking to make sure that you do not overdose on an ingredient, such as acetaminophen, the can cause serious liver damage. If you feel that you could benefit from addiction therapy but need more information to make your decision, call our toll-free number today. We are available 24 hours a day to answer any questions you might have about drug rehabilitation options.
