TY - JOUR
T1 - Monitoring of liver enzymes in patients treated with traditional Chinese drugs
AU - Melchart, D.
AU - Linde, K.
AU - Hager, S.
AU - Kaesmayr, J.
AU - Shaw, D.
AU - Bauer, R.
AU - Weidenhammer, W.
N1 - Funding Information:
There was no specific funding for this study. The Mtinchener Modell - Centre for Complementary Medicine Research is sponsored by the Bavarian Parliament and the Erich Rothenful3er Foundation. We want to thank Christine S611ner (involvement in the starting phase of the study, establishing the basic database), Professor Hildebert Wagner (identification and analysis of TCM drugs), and Mrs Fischer (on-site collection and monitoring of the data).
PY - 1999
Y1 - 1999
N2 - Background: Use of traditional Chinese drug treatment is widespread. While cases of hepatotoxic effects have been reported, little is known about the frequency of such effects. Objectives: To investigate the frequency, magnitude and course of liver enzyme elevations in patients treated with traditional Chinese drugs. Design: Retrospective study. Setting: Hospital for traditional Chinese medicine in Germany. Patients: All 1507 patients admitted for inpatient treatment between February 1994 and July 1995. Main outcome measure: Number of patients who presented at discharge with a more than 2-fold elevation of alanine amino transferase (ALT) levels (over maximum normal values or elevated admission values). Results: A more than 2-fold elevation of ALT values was observed in 14 patients (0.9%). In 13 cases a causal relationship with Chinese drug therapy seemed possible and, for one patient, likely. However, all patients were also on non-Chinese drug treatment. Follow-up values of ALT within 8 weeks after discharge were normal in 11 patients (six of them had continued to take traditional Chinese drugs) and close to normal in the remaining three. In five patients there were indications for previous liver damage. Conclusions: In the population and setting studied, clinically relevant liver enzyme elevations occurred in about 1/100 patients treated with traditional Chinese drugs.
AB - Background: Use of traditional Chinese drug treatment is widespread. While cases of hepatotoxic effects have been reported, little is known about the frequency of such effects. Objectives: To investigate the frequency, magnitude and course of liver enzyme elevations in patients treated with traditional Chinese drugs. Design: Retrospective study. Setting: Hospital for traditional Chinese medicine in Germany. Patients: All 1507 patients admitted for inpatient treatment between February 1994 and July 1995. Main outcome measure: Number of patients who presented at discharge with a more than 2-fold elevation of alanine amino transferase (ALT) levels (over maximum normal values or elevated admission values). Results: A more than 2-fold elevation of ALT values was observed in 14 patients (0.9%). In 13 cases a causal relationship with Chinese drug therapy seemed possible and, for one patient, likely. However, all patients were also on non-Chinese drug treatment. Follow-up values of ALT within 8 weeks after discharge were normal in 11 patients (six of them had continued to take traditional Chinese drugs) and close to normal in the remaining three. In five patients there were indications for previous liver damage. Conclusions: In the population and setting studied, clinically relevant liver enzyme elevations occurred in about 1/100 patients treated with traditional Chinese drugs.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0033379679&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/S0965-2299(99)80003-X
DO - 10.1016/S0965-2299(99)80003-X
M3 - Article
C2 - 10709303
AN - SCOPUS:0033379679
SN - 0965-2299
VL - 7
SP - 208
EP - 216
JO - Complementary Therapies in Medicine
JF - Complementary Therapies in Medicine
IS - 4
ER -