Paracetamol Metabolism in African Villagers

Abstract

1 Paracetamol clearance has been measured from serial serum samples in 49 healthy black Africans from a village in Southern Africa. 2 The subjects are minimally exposed to known environmental inducing or inhibiting agents and the staple diet consists of maize cereal and greens. 3 The mean clearance (± SD) was 4.98 ± 1.61 ml min^-1 kg^-1, which is significantly faster than the values found in previous investigations with paracetamol in whites and Asian immigrants in London. The mean half-lives were fairly similar but the apparent volumes of distribution were also found to be larger in the present study. 4 The ethnic difference in paracetamol kinetics identified in this study is possibly genetically controlled.