한약 복용이 간기능에 미치는 영향 : 전향적 다기관 예비연구

• Published in: 동의생리병리학회지 Vol. 23; no. 3; pp. 715 - 722
• Main Authors: 윤영주, 박재현, 백은경, 박재형, 정슬기, 박해모, 이선동, 신병철, Yun, Young-Ju, Park, Jae-Heon, Paeck, Eun-Kyung, Park, Jae-Hyung, Jeong, Seul-Ki, Park, Hae-Mo, Lee, Sun-Dong, Shin, Byung-Cheul
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Korean
• Published: 한의병리학회 01.06.2009
• Subjects: 한의학; drug induced liver injury(DILI); korean herbal medicine(KHM); liver function test(LFT); safety
• ISSN: 1738-7698; 2283-2529; 2288-2529

The aim of this study was to investigate the safety of short-term use of Korean herbal medicine (KHM; prescribed herbal medicine by doctors of traditional Korean medicine) on liver function. Three hundred eighty four outpatients who took KHM for various conditions were enrolled for multi-center, prospective observational study. Of them 237 patients completed questionnaire and were checked liver function (aspartic aminotransferase;AST, alanine aminotransferase;ALT, alkaline phosphatase;ALP, total bilirubin;t-Bil, direct bilirubin;d-Bil, gamma glutamyltranspeptidase;GGT, protein and albumin) before and after taking KHM (duration; 21.4${\pm}$10.0 days), and data were analysed statistically. Of the 213 patients showing normal liver function test (LFT) at baseline, 209 (98.1%) remained within the normal range at the second test while 3 (1.4%) revealed slight increase of LFT. Only one subject had raised LFT regarding level of liver injury without perceived symptoms. Twenty-four of 237 patients were abnormal at baseline, and 16 at the second testing. Of the patients taking KHM, only 4 changed from normal to abnormal while 12 from abnormal to normal in their LFT. There were no significant increase in LFT level between the first and second test, except in the t-Bil level, however, the change of t-Bil was small and within normal range. The current study showed that the use of KHM did not increase the frequency of abnormal LFTs, at least in the short term.