Archive · 21 Aug 2026
Common Medicines Can Quietly Cause Silent Liver Damage
Some medicines can harm the liver, even if people do not notice it at first.
This is called drug-induced liver injury.
The liver may not send clear warning signals when it is being damaged.
That is because it does not have many nerve endings to create pain.
A person may feel only vague symptoms or nothing unusual.
The problem can therefore remain hidden for some time.
Dr. Rahul Roy says this risk is often overlooked.
He warns that damage may already be serious by the time it is noticed.
Dr. Rahul Roy warns that drug-induced liver injury is an overlooked health risk.
Liver damage may initially cause vague symptoms or no obvious symptoms at all.
The liver lacks nerve endings that would directly signal distress.
Liver failure may develop silently before people recognize that something is wrong.
By the time symptoms become noticeable, significant damage may already have occurred.
- Who
- Dr. Rahul Roy, a consultant in surgical gastroenterology, liver transplantation and hepatobiliary surgery.
- What
- A warning about the overlooked risk of drug-induced liver injury.
- Where
- Narayana RN Tagore.
- Why
- Liver damage can initially cause vague or no symptoms and may progress silently.
- Health risk
- Drug-induced liver injury
- Warning source
- Dr. Rahul Roy
- Specialty
- Surgical gastroenterology, liver transplantation and hepatobiliary surgery
- Symptoms
- Vague or absent in the early stages
- Underlying issue
- The liver lacks nerve endings that would directly signal distress
- Potential consequence
- Damage may be advanced before it is noticed