Hepatitis Risk By Antibiotic Treatment

Ketek, an antibiotic used for the treatment of infections in upper respiratory system has been recently associated with the liver disease among the patients using it. Moreover, an issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine, reports that the drug is also responsible for the onset of drug-induced hepatitis.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Ketek for commercial use in 2004. Sanofi – Aventis manufactures Ketek. It is used for the treatment of following illnesses:

Acute bacterial sinusitis

Acute bacterial infections

Community-acquired pneumonia

Chronic bronchitis

Ketek has been recently linked to the onset of liver diseases and liver failure. It also causes drug-induced hepatitis.

Hepatitis

According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, hepatitis is a condition in which due to the swelling of liver body cannot store, digest or remove poisons or food within the body. According to NLM, if detected early, hepatitis is curable with drugs.  However, in some cases, it lasts for lifetime and thus an individual has to change his lifestyle to accommodate following:

• Abstain from alcohol
• Review all the medicines before taking them
• Regular blood tests and ultrasounds
• Inform your sexual partner about your illness and take appropriate measure to avoid spreading the infection
• Do not share blood
• Remind dentists, doctors about your condition
• Do not donate tissue , plasma , body organs , blood and sperm
• If a women suffering from this disease becomes pregnant, she should report her condition to doctor so that the unborn baby is not infected
• Take care to avoid contaminating anything with the blood of infected patient.

Approximately 280,000 Americans suffers from Hepatitis every year. As hepatitis is a preventable disease, patients should not develop it. Specifically, patients taking antibiotics should not this condition.

Hepatitis Threats

Majority of patients suffering from hepatitis can be treated, however, there are certain risks that are related to the onset of the disease. According to the Mayo Clinic, a patient suffering from the hepatitis may suffer from several conditions including the following:

• Cirrhosis of liver, also known as irreversible scarring of the liver
• Onset of jaundice, which occurs when liver, fails to function properly. In this condition, liver cannot process the residue of old red blood cells, therefore, the eyes, skin and nails of the patient turn yellow.
• Enlarged varices blocks the circulation, thus may cause fatal bleeding
• The growth of portal vein blood pressure, which causes blood to back up into lower intestine, stomach or esophagus.

According to the NLM, majority of the patients suffering from hepatitis are unaware of their condition but following are the symptoms of hepatitis:

• Vomiting
• Pale bowel movements
• Diarrhea
• Yellowing of eyes, skin, nail, jaundice
• Vomiting
• Dark colored urine
• Stomach pain
• Loss of appetite

According to the American Association for Clinical Chemistry (AACC) and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), patients who fears that they are suffering from hepatitis have to under go a liver panel or liver biopsy to know their condition.

According to the New England Journal of Medicine, although the U.S. Food and Drug Administration are investigating Ketek, its producers continue to market it. However, patients affected by the side effects of Ketek should seek the advice of a pharmaceutical attorney who will assist in fling a lawsuit against the company.