American journal of therapeutics
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An unexpected clinical question has emerged in the treatment of pain or fever in the alcoholic patient: Is paracetamol a safe medication for the alcoholic patient? After decades of use in a variety of patients, sporadic reports suggest a relationship between liver injury and the use of paracetamol by alcoholic patients. We performed a systematic review of the medical literature to answer the question: Can administration of therapeutic doses of paracetamol cause hepatic injury in the alcoholic patient? After extensive data retrieval, each article in any language that involved the use of paracetamol by an alcoholic patient was abstracted and categorized for strength of evidence. Class I data (randomized, controlled trials) show that repeated ingestion of a therapeutic dose of paracetamol over 48 hours by patients with severe alcoholism did not produce an increase in hepatic aminotransferase enzyme levels nor any clinical manifestations compared with a placebo group. ⋯ In fact, there is no change at all in hepatic aminotransferase enzymes, prothrombin time, or other biochemical parameters when compared with a placebo group in well-designed trials. Unless stronger evidence of a potentially dangerous interaction emerges, the use of paracetamol in the alcoholic patient is reasonable. During chronic treatment of pain, paracetamol may be preferred in the compliant alcoholic patients owing to the adverse effects associated with long-term use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents.
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Osteoarthritis (OA), previously called degenerative joint disease, is a common condition. Figures from the United States indicate that as many as 80% of the population has radiographic evidence of this disease by the age of 65 years, and difficulty with ambulation, mostly attributable to OA, accounts for as many as 30% of all visits to a doctor. There is no known cure for OA and hence treatments are used to reduce pain and other symptoms, maintain and/or improve joint mobility, and limit functional disability, with the overall management goal of improving the patients' quality of life. ⋯ In OA, the intensity of pain varies both during the day and night, enabling the use of NSAIDs with a short half-life on an as-needed basis. Strategies to reduce the risk of NSAID-related GI complications include prophylaxis with misoprostol. Current developments in the field of OA management are also discussed, including the emergence of drugs that specifically inhibit cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) and disease-modifying treatments.
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Paracetamol (acetaminophen) is one of the most widely used of all drugs, with a wealth of experience clearly establishing it as the standard antipyretic and analgesic for mild to moderate pain states. First used clinically by von Mering in 1893, paracetamol did not appear commercially until 1950 in the United States and 1956 in Australia. During the 1960s and 1970s, increasing concern was raised about the toxicity of nonprescription analgesics, but in normal use paracetamol exhibited a consistent safety profile. ⋯ In the meantime, paracetamol may find applications in other therapeutic areas, such as the prevention of atherosclerosis via a potential antioxidant activity. In summary, although it is more than a century since the first clinical use of paracetamol, it continues to be a first-line therapy of choice in adults and children with fever and pain. In addition, current research suggests that paracetamol may have a much broader clinical utility in years to come.