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Does MRSA Infection Have An Impact On The Liver?
Question: I got MRSA from the Bair Hugg during a knee replacement, I took antibiotics for over 5 months and this was in 2015, it impaired my liver, what does it mean liver enzymes are effected? Is that what MRSA does to your liver?
Brief Answer:
it was probably due to the antibiotic treatment
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
First of all I can't confirm the cause of your MRSA infection. Bair Hugger systems is a potential cause but I can't say whether it was this system or 'dirty' hands that transmitted the Staphylococcus to you.
MRSA infection may affect the liver enzymes only when very serious or when the liver in particular has been infected (an abscess for example, which is not very common). The most likely cause of liver enzyme elevation and kidney problems has to do with the side effects of the antibiotics. Drugs like vancomycin (which is usually effective and commonly used against MRSA) bear a high risk of nephrotoxicity (potential to cause damage to the kidneys) and when used for a long time the risk is higher. The same applies for the liver with this and other drugs. In most cases a multitude of drugs is used for serious infections, so the side effects are even more frequent.
In most cases the liver enzymes get back to normal after a month or so of discontinuing the drugs but this is not always the case. If the enzymes are still high then all other causes will have to be excluded. Toxicity is a diagnosis that should come up only after all other causes have been eliminated. So an ultrasound scan of the upper abdomen, serial liver enzyme measurements and antibody testing should be done to exclude other common causes of liver injury, like infectious and autoimmune hepatitis, fatty liver disease, etc.
I hope this answers your question. If you have more questions or require any clarification, please use your follow-up questions to do so... I'll be glad to help!
Kind Regards!
it was probably due to the antibiotic treatment
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
First of all I can't confirm the cause of your MRSA infection. Bair Hugger systems is a potential cause but I can't say whether it was this system or 'dirty' hands that transmitted the Staphylococcus to you.
MRSA infection may affect the liver enzymes only when very serious or when the liver in particular has been infected (an abscess for example, which is not very common). The most likely cause of liver enzyme elevation and kidney problems has to do with the side effects of the antibiotics. Drugs like vancomycin (which is usually effective and commonly used against MRSA) bear a high risk of nephrotoxicity (potential to cause damage to the kidneys) and when used for a long time the risk is higher. The same applies for the liver with this and other drugs. In most cases a multitude of drugs is used for serious infections, so the side effects are even more frequent.
In most cases the liver enzymes get back to normal after a month or so of discontinuing the drugs but this is not always the case. If the enzymes are still high then all other causes will have to be excluded. Toxicity is a diagnosis that should come up only after all other causes have been eliminated. So an ultrasound scan of the upper abdomen, serial liver enzyme measurements and antibody testing should be done to exclude other common causes of liver injury, like infectious and autoimmune hepatitis, fatty liver disease, etc.
I hope this answers your question. If you have more questions or require any clarification, please use your follow-up questions to do so... I'll be glad to help!
Kind Regards!
Note: For more detailed guidance, please consult an Internal Medicine Specialist, with your latest reports. Click here..
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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