Patient N.V.T, male (57 years old in Hanoi), has a history of gout for over 10 years, hypertension, and diabetes but does not receive regular treatment. Due to prolonged fatigue, the patient self-purchased concentrated traditional medicine pills online for a 4-month treatment course.
After taking the medicine, the patient had to be hospitalized due to fatigue, jaundice, and yellow eyes. The patient was diagnosed with acute toxic hepatitis (drug poisoning) and acute kidney failure. Despite undergoing plasma exchange 4 times and a reduction in liver enzymes, the jaundice index did not improve, and the patient was transferred to the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases. Here, the indicators showed that his cholestasis condition leading to jaundice was more than 20 times higher than normal. The use of unknown origin medicine caused liver damage, reducing liver function. The patient had multiple underlying conditions such as hypertension and diabetes for many years, making the body weaker, less responsive to treatment, and increasing the risk of complications and death.
Another case is male patient T.L (59 years old in Hanoi). In the past 2 weeks, he felt fatigued, with increasing jaundice and yellow eyes, and lacked clarity in speech. After 10 days of treatment at a medical facility without improvement, the patient self-admitted to the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases and was diagnosed with acute liver failure along with the first detection of hepatitis B. Tests showed that the patient's liver enzymes were more than 1,000 times higher than normal, and the cholestasis condition leading to jaundice and yellow eyes was more than 30 times higher than normal. The blood clotting index was also very low.
Medical history revealed that the patient and his family were unaware of the hepatitis B condition due to not having regular check-ups and hepatitis screening. The family also reported that in the past 2 years, the patient had been drinking papaya flower soaked in honey to treat the illness.
According to Dr. Vu Thi Huong Giang - Hepatitis Department, National Hospital for Tropical Diseases: Patient L was diagnosed with acute liver failure and a flare-up of hepatitis B virus activity. With the current condition, the mortality rate is up to 80%. If the patient had been detected earlier for hepatitis B virus through periodic screenings and check-ups and had good disease management, this severe condition could have been prevented.
Both patients above made regrettable mistakes. One used medicine of unknown origin, and the other used traditional remedies incorrectly and without proper specialist guidance, leading to high liver enzyme levels and severe cholestasis.
