45-year-old man in critical condition after using herbal medicine to treat hepatitis B

On March 20, information from the Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases said that doctors at this unit had just received and treated a patient in critical condition due to using traditional medicine to treat hepatitis B.

Accordingly, a 45-year-old male patient from Bac Giang was admitted to the hospital in a state of severe liver failure. Through investigation, it was found that the patient had a history of hepatitis B which was discovered 10 years ago. In addition, the patient had small cell lymphoma and had received 6 rounds of chemotherapy.

Tự ý dùng thuốc nam chữa viêm gan B, người đàn ông 45 tuổi nguy kịch - Ảnh 1. — Doctors examine patients at the hospital. Photo: BVCC

A year ago, the patient was treated with antiviral drugs for hepatitis B. In the past 3 months, the patient stopped taking the medication on his own and switched to taking herbal medicine of unknown origin. After taking the medicine, the patient felt tired, had poor appetite, nausea, and jaundice, which gradually increased with vomiting. The patient went to the doctor and was advised to be hospitalized.

Here, the patient was diagnosed with acute and subacute liver failure; Kaposi's sarcoma of the lymph nodes; chronic viral hepatitis B; hepatic coma...

After being transferred to the Intensive Care Unit, Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases, the patient fell into a coma, liver failure, had to be placed on a ventilator, the patient's condition did not improve. After the doctor explained that the prognosis was severe, the patient's family asked to take him home to be cared for.

Dr. Pham Van Phuc, Deputy Head of the Intensive Care Unit, said that doctors here have admitted many patients to the hospital with severe liver failure and hepatic coma due to them arbitrarily stopping antiviral drugs to use traditional Chinese medicine in the hope that the disease will improve. However, this is actually very dangerous.

According to Dr. Phuc, patients with hepatitis B need to be examined regularly by infectious disease and hepatitis specialists. Through these visits, doctors will provide appropriate treatment regimens and timely monitoring plans.

In case patients are taking antiviral drugs, they should not stop taking the drug on their own without consulting a specialist. In particular, patients should absolutely not use traditional medicine, herbal medicine, or functional foods without consulting a doctor in the treatment of hepatitis B, to avoid unfortunate consequences like the patient above.

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