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Article: Pill used to treat thyroid disease in children can cause liver failure requiring a transplant.
- Article from:
- Transplant News
- Article date:
- April 1, 2009
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2009 Transplant Communications, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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A pill used to treat thyroid disease can cause liver failure in children that could require a liver transplant, according to two US government physicians.
The pill in question is propylthiouracil or methimazole to treat children with Grave's disease, the most common cause of an overactive thyroid, the Associated Press reported. However, over the past 60 years reports have appeared linking the use of propylthiouracil (PTU) in children with liver failure, which could require a liver transplant.
PTU is also a primary treatment for adults with Graves' disease, but there appear to be fewer liver complications, according to Donald Mattison, MD, of the Eunice ...