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Poisoning by alcohol and its surrogates.

Causes and mechanism of alcohol poisoning.

To understand the causes and mechanism of alcohol and surrogates poisoning, let's first figure out what substances we are dealing with. It's all about alcohol. Alcohol is a drink containing two components, water and ethyl alcohol (also called wine alcohol or ethanol). But the industry produces not only ethyl alcohol, we also have methyl alcohol or wood alcohol (methanol), propyl alcohol or propanol, butyl alcohol or butanol, amyl alcohol or pentanol, isopropanol, isobutanol.

The alcohols mentioned are highly toxic technical liquids that are used as solvents or for the synthesis of other chemical compounds. Ethyl alcohol, which mankind is used to drinking in the form of alcoholic beverages, is also used for the production of acetone, denatured alcohol, acetic acid, synthetic rubber, plastics and much more. It is an excellent solvent as well as a fuel for jet engines and internal combustion engines. All alcohols are similar in their physical and chemical properties, besides, ethyl and methyl alcohols are practically indistinguishable in taste and smell.

With the exit of many alcohol-producing structures from under the tutelage of the state and a decrease in control over these industries, impurities of poisonous "brothers" of ethyl alcohol began to appear in alcohol. This has led to an increase in cases of poisoning with such alcoholic beverages. It should be added to this that excessive consumption of alcohol of the usual composition, not controlled by the person himself, also leads to poisoning of the body - acute or chronic.

The reasons for poisoning the body with alcohols lie in the action exerted by alcohols on the work of organs and their systems. From the point of view of medicine, intoxication is nothing but the poisoning of the body with ethyl alcohol, and if the volume of alcohol consumed also exceeds certain limits and / or there are impurities, then we can already talk about a threat to life.

When it enters the body, alcohol is quickly absorbed into the bloodstream, and for the body it serves as a signal: "Throw all your strength into neutralizing the poison!" To detoxify alcohol (oxidize it), the body consumes enzymes, which at the same time spend reserves of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide- a substance that catalyzes redox reactions and is necessary for the body for carbohydrate metabolism. The depletion of this substance leads to impaired absorption of glucose (and it is glucose that is the universal fuel for the cells of the body, not alcohol). As a result of oxidative processes, alcohol turns into acetaldehyde (an extremely poisonous substance), then into acetic acid, then it breaks down to water and carbon dioxide, which are excreted through the kidneys and lungs. In this process, the stores of carbohydrates stored in the liver in the form of glycogen disappear.

Unlike ethyl alcohol, other types of alcohols do not break down for a long time and circulate through the bloodstream, poisoning various organs. For example, amyl alcohol can be in the blood for 4 to 50 hours. It complicates the clinic of ethyl alcohol poisoning (that is, it aggravates the symptoms of poisoning), has a toxic effect on the myocardium, which causes death from heart failure. With the chronic consumption of drinks with amyl alcohol impurities, the tone of the vessels, including the aorta, is disturbed, which leads to the formation of atherosclerotic plaques and, accordingly, vascular sclerosis, their microthrombosis, and causes hypertension.

The passage of toxins through the liver and exit through the kidneys causes liver and kidney failure as a result of cell necrosis of these organs.

Symptoms of alcohol poisoning and alcohol substitutes.

The peculiarity of poisoning with alcohol surrogates is that the appearance of signs of poisoning is delayed in time.

For example, a symptom such as visual impairment or even blindness appears 2-3 days after poisoning.

Erosive gastritis, as a result of acute or chronic poisoning with surrogates, causes pain in the stomach.

The following symptoms indicate poisoning with alcohol-containing drinks (including surrogate ones):

Headache
General weakness
Dizziness
Heavy sweating and cold sweats
Chills
Hand tremor
Icteric skin
Nausea and vomiting
Vomiting of "coffee grounds"
Diarrhea
Decrease in diastolic (lower) pressure to 30-50 mm Hg
Respiratory disorders up to the possibility of paralysis of the respiratory or motor center.

Poisoning can result in an alcoholic coma .

Signs of an alcoholic coma:

A gradual decrease in body temperature;

slow breathing;
increased heart rate;
the pupils are constricted;
severe vomiting;
spontaneous defecation is possible;
collapse of blood vessels (a sharp drop in pressure).

First aid for alcohol poisoning and surrogates.

If you suspect poisoning, call an ambulance, since antidotes or measures to remove from a coma may be required, and in these cases time is expensive.
Gastric lavage can cause vomit to enter the respiratory tract, therefore, drinking plenty of water or soda solutions is not entirely correct action, in addition, a person may have impaired breathing and swallowing reflex, which will lead to choking with liquid. Therefore , it is better to leave gastric lavage to professionals , they have special probes for such purposes. In addition, alcohol is quickly absorbed into the bloodstream, and the symptoms of poisoning can make themselves felt after several hours, so there will be nothing to wash the stomach for.
Provide oxygen access, unfasten clothing items that hinder movement.
Put the victim so that his head is tilted to one side, and he could not suffocate with vomit.
Raise the lower limbs with a roller, thereby providing blood flow to the brain in case of fainting.
Cover with a warm blanket for chills.
Collect vomit in a clean container for subsequent laboratory tests.
In case of cardiac arrest or breath-holding, proceed with artificial respiration and chest compressions.
If a person was found in an unconscious state, if possible, before the ambulance arrives, collect empty containers or containers with remnants of liquid next to him and send them for laboratory analysis to identify the causes of intoxication.

Full detoxification of the body can be carried out only in a hospital setting, therefore, it is necessary at any cost to deliver the victim as quickly as possible to a medical facility.