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Acetaminophen poisoning in infancy
Insights
Severe acetaminophen toxicity can occur in infants, even without a history of overdose. This highlights potential risks in young children, challenging the perceived safety margin of this common medication.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Pharmacology
- Toxicology
- Drug Safety
Background:
- Acetaminophen is a common medication for children.
- Overdosage is frequent, but severe liver damage (hepatotoxicity) is rare in young children, attributed to unique pharmacokinetics.
- A wide safety margin is generally assumed for infants.
Abstract:
Acetaminophen is widely used in children of all ages, and overdosage from this medication is common. Although severe hepatotoxicity from over-dosage occurs in adults, acetaminophen seems to have a wide margin of safety in younger children. This has been ascribed to altered pharmacokinetics in this age group. We report two cases in which severe acetaminophen-induced hepatoxocity occurred in two infants. Neither infant reportedly received potentially toxic dosages, by history, but toxic drug levels were present in both.