Can antibiotics put your liver at risk?

Commonly used antibiotics could potentially be putting the livers of older adults at risk of injury, according to a recent study.

Researchers found moxifloxain and levofloxacin, often prescribed to treat bacterial infections, can cause liver damage.

While the European Medicines Agency and Health Canada have already issued warnings about moxifloxacin, there has been little focus on the problems caused by levofloxacin.

A team at the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences at the University of Toronto and McMaster University found that patients who took moxifloxacin had more than a two-fold increase risk of admission to hospital because of severe liver injury.

Dr David Juurlink, co-author of the study, added: ""Levofloxacin was also associated with a statistically significant but lower risk of hepatotoxicity than…moxifloxacin."

However, researchers note that these cases, while serious, are rare, with only approximately six cases in every 100,000 being the result of the antibiotic.

Nevertheless, this indicates that a review of the antibiotics used to treat older adults and their effects could be beneficial.

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