Liver Toxicity (Hepatotoxicity, Drug-Induced Liver Injury)

Liver toxicity, also called hepatotoxicity or drug-induced liver injury, means a substance has damaged the liver. Because the liver processes nearly everything we swallow, it is exposed to high concentrations of medicines, supplements, and chemicals. Most cases show up first as abnormal liver enzyme levels on a blood test. More serious cases cause fatigue, nausea, dark urine, and jaundice, and a small share progress to acute liver failure.

Some liver injury is predictable and dose-related. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases identifies acetaminophen overdose as a leading cause of acute liver failure in the United States. Other reactions are unpredictable and happen in only a few people at normal doses. Herbal and dietary supplements are a growing concern because they are not reviewed by the FDA before sale, and some products marketed for weight loss, muscle building, or energy have been linked to serious liver injury. The National Institutes of Health runs LiverTox, a free database that summarizes the evidence on liver injury for hundreds of drugs and supplements.

Liver toxicity is central to product liability and consumer cases. Injury lawsuits argue that a maker knew or should have known about liver risk and failed to warn. Consumer class actions over supplements sometimes allege that a product contained undisclosed ingredients or more of an ingredient than the label stated. Proving an injury claim usually requires lab results over time, a doctor's opinion on the cause, and proof of what product was taken.

See our page on supplement mislabeling lawsuits, the dietary supplement entry, and how to sue a company.