Med. praxi. 2019;16(1):20-22 | DOI: 10.36290/med.2019.046

Hepatoprotectives and their use in general practice

doc. MUDr. Bohumil Seifert, Ph.D.

Ústav všeobecného lékařství 1. LF UK, Praha

Hepatoprotectives are a large group of natural compounds with a presumed positive, protective, and regenerative effect on the liver cell. They are characterized by very good tolerance and safety profile, corroborated by thousands of years of use. The efficacy of some hepatoprotectives, such as silymarin or vitamin E, is well evidenced in the literature. The efficacy and role of other potentially hepatoprotective agents have been the subject of medical research all over the world. In modern hepatology, primarily aimed at effective causal treatment of chronic hepatitides and other clinical entities, the position of hepatoprotectives is weakened. In the general practice setting where the general practitioner (GP) encounters patients with various stages of liver disease, the situation is different. The GP is in charge of the care of individuals with varied lifestyles, chronic medication, metabolic syndrome, overweight, or type 2 diabetes. These patients have a high prevalence of hepatic disorders, steatosis, and steatohepatitis, i.e. diseases with a potentially progressive course for which there is no simple therapeutic solution. In these patients, drugs from the field of complementary and alternative medicine can be a useful part of comprehensive approaches, as is the case with hepatoprotectives.

Keywords: hepatoprotectives, liver disease, NAFLD, silymarin, vitamin E, caffeine

Received: February 27, 2017; Accepted: April 10, 2017; Published: February 25, 2019  Show citation