Stages of Acute Acetaminophen Poisoning
Stage | Time Postingestion | Description |
|---|---|---|
I | 0–24 hours | Anorexia, nausea, vomiting |
II | 24–72 hours | Right upper quadrant abdominal pain (common) AST, ALT, and, if poisoning is severe, bilirubin and PT (usually reported as the INR) sometimes elevated |
III | 72–96 hours | Vomiting and symptoms of liver failure Peaking of AST, ALT, bilirubin, and INR Sometimes renal failure and pancreatitis |
IV | > 5 days | Resolution of hepatotoxicity or progression to multiple organ failure (sometimes fatal) |
AST = aspartate aminotransferase; ALT = alanine aminotransferase; INR = international normalized ratio; PT = prothrombin time. | ||
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