Why people die from vodka. Forensic medical diagnosis of acute fatal alcohol poisoning. Help for those who have been poisoned by alcohol

Alcohol poisoning occurs when a person consumes large amounts of alcohol in a short time.

As a result, the concentration of alcohol in the blood rises so much that it has a powerful toxic effect and becomes life-threatening.

Alcohol poisoning requires immediate medical intervention.

There is an opinion that poisoning occurs only if a person consumes "low-quality" alcohol or alcohol surrogates. However, poisoning can occur when using any drinks containing ethanol.

Why does alcohol poisoning occur?

When drinking alcohol, the main blow falls on the liver. This organ works as a filter, removing alcohol toxins from the blood and converting them into less dangerous substances.

Anti-alcohol hotline

You can get information on any issues related to the use of alcohol by calling the Healthy Russia telephone information service. The hotline operates at 8-800-200-0-200. Calls to it are free from all regions of Russia.

The greater the dose of alcohol a person takes in less time, the higher its concentration in the blood. The liver is able to process a limited amount of ethanol - about 12 mg.

This means that a completely healthy liver can handle an amount of alcohol equal to approximately one bottle of light beer per hour.

The liver and simple arithmetic

If you drink 24 mg of ethanol in an hour, that means 12 of them will remain in your blood. Another 24 mg in an hour will raise the concentration of alcohol in the blood to 24 mg and so on.

The faster you consume alcohol-containing drinks, the higher the concentration of ethanol in the blood. Even if a person has stopped drinking alcohol, its concentration in the blood grows for another 30-40 minutes, and with it the symptoms of poisoning increase.

If the concentration of ethanol in the blood reaches 3-5 g per liter of blood, you can die from alcohol poisoning. If it exceeds 5 g - ethanol poisoning is unambiguous deadly.

This does not mean that taking small doses of alcohol will not lead to alcohol poisoning - the metabolic characteristics of all people are different.

In addition, they may work additional factors: taking medications incompatible with alcohol, latent diseases, stress and even fatigue. The only way to prevent alcohol poisoning is not to drink alcohol at all.

How are they poisoned?

In Russia, about 60 percent of all fatal poisonings are caused by alcohol. In the United States, one person per week dies from an overdose of alcohol.

Most often, alcohol poisoning occurs among adolescents, chronic alcoholics and children left alone with alcohol without adult supervision or who received alcohol from their parents themselves to get a negative experience.

Symptoms of poisoning

A high dose of alcohol in a short time can increase the concentration of ethanol in the blood so much that disruption of all body systems.

Especially significant effect on the nervous system. It can even lead to the fact that unconscious reflexes: respiratory and gag reflexes, heartbeat - stop working.

Route of alcohol in the body

Once inside, alcohol begins its destructive procession through the internal organs. The first stop on his way is the stomach. You can get acquainted with the full route in ours.

The following symptoms indicate that intoxication is turning into alcohol poisoning:
- confused mind
hypothermia - a sharp drop in body temperature,
- pallor with a bluish tint,
- stupor - a person is conscious, but does not respond to external stimuli,
- sharply accelerated or slowed down breathing,
- violent vomiting.

Often, during alcohol poisoning, a person is completely stops breathing, happening heart attack or he chokes on his own vomit. Violent vomiting can also lead to dehydration and impaired circulation.

If a person is not helped with alcohol poisoning, he falls into a coma and dies.

How to provide first aid?

If you suspect that a person has been poisoned by alcohol, do not wait until he has all the symptoms of poisoning. Immediately call an ambulance.

Before the arrival of the ambulance need:
- wake up a person, bring him to consciousness,
- if the poisoned person is still conscious, place him in a sitting position so that he does not choke on vomit,
- if he is unconscious - lay on his side and control his breathing.

It is forbidden:
- give coffee to a person who has been poisoned by alcohol - this will disrupt the water-salt balance in the body and cause worsening of symptoms from the nervous system,
- give him extra alcohol,
- forced to take cold showers
- to force the poisoned person to rise to his feet and walk.

Remember that to cure alcohol poisoning with milk, tea or any other heavy drink in impossible at home- it requires treatment by specialized methods in a hospital.

The most important

Alcohol poisoning occurs when a person consumes a large dose of alcohol in a short time. Ethanol poisoning can be fatal and requires specialized hospital treatment. The most reliable means of preventing alcohol poisoning is not to drink at all.

Alcohol has never done anyone any good, only harm. Unfortunately, few people refused to use it. It is difficult to imagine at least one meeting of bosom friends without a glass of beer. Yes, one glass of beer once a month won't hurt much, and you're incredibly lucky if that's the case for you.

After drinking a large amount of alcohol for everyone, regardless of age and body condition, an overdose can occur. Although we are all used to the fact that an overdose can only occur from heroin, cocaine and other drugs of this kind. Forgetting, or not wanting to pay attention to the fact that alcohol is also a drug, an addiction that also needs to be disposed of.

The state in which a person is after drinking alcohol is called alcohol intoxication. This condition is characterized by physiological, behavioral and psychological disorders of the functions of the human body. And it doesn't matter what dose of alcohol a person has consumed. Violations will be in all three functions. The level of poisoning depends on the condition of the person, on the amount of alcohol consumed and on the time when alcohol was last taken. Depending on the amount of alcohol per mille in the blood, intoxication can be conditionally divided into three stages.

Interesting! Ppm is 1/10 of a percent and is used to symbolize the level of ethanol in the blood.

Stages of intoxication

alcohol poisoning is the cause of death

Experts have identified the stages of intoxication. The fact is that they are distinguished by a number of signs and the level of alcohol consumed. Stages:

• mild intoxication. The dose of ethyl alcohol in the body is up to 1.5 ppm. The state of a drinker in the mild stage of intoxication can be characterized by cheerfulness, joy, emancipation, carelessness, intolerance, impaired attention and coordination. The face also turns red, breathing and pulse quicken.
• Average intoxication. The dose of alcohol in the body is up to 2.5 ppm. This stage can be identified using signs such as: slow speech, inability to concentrate, disorientation in place and time. At the same time, the person becomes more nervous, unceremonious. It is very difficult for him to perceive others, his gait becomes uncertain, his movements are sharp, but inaccurate. The skin on the face no longer turns red, but becomes pale. Sometimes a person feels sick, up to vomiting.
• Severe intoxication. Alcohol is contained in the blood up to 4 ppm. A person stops responding to the world around him, to pain and irritants. At an ethanol dose of more than 4 ppm, death from hypoxia occurs. But this characteristic does not apply to people with chronic drunkenness, since with 4 ppm in their blood they can maintain a dialogue, answer the questions asked.

The time of intoxication depends on age, gender, addiction to alcohol, but primarily on the dose consumed and the metabolic rate in the human body. Alcohol, from an alcoholic with experience, comes out at a rate almost twice as high as that of a person who consumes only on holidays.

Hangover and its symptoms

Once in the stage of moderate or severe intoxication, a person in the morning will become a “happy” owner of a hangover.

If a person drinks a lot of alcohol, then he should prepare for the fact that in the morning it will come out sideways to him. Hangover signs:

• headache,
• with sudden movements - dizziness,
• nausea (sometimes vomiting),
• intense thirst,
• cardiopalmus,
• lack of appetite,
• prostration.

Some causes of death from alcohol consumption have been established.

Leading causes of death from alcohol

There is a certain list of reasons leading to the death of an alcoholic. First of all, it is:

• Cirrhosis of the liver . A disease that develops against the background of regular alcohol consumption. The liver is the organ that removes ethanol from the body, so the entire load falls on it. Liver tissues die off, the stomach increases, due to an increase in the volume of fluid. The fluid cannot come out because the liver stops filtering the blood. It accumulates, and then there is a gap. With the timely refusal of alcohol, it is possible to restore liver tissue.
• Heart attack. It happens much more often in young people. Myocardial infarction occurs due to ventricular fibrillation. Moreover, death can occur the next day after taking alcohol.
• Arrhythmia. With a sharp increase in ethanol in human blood, the heart rhythm changes. It becomes jumpy. As a result, blood does not enter the organs. As a result, they stop working normally. Such death is called coronary death. It affects not only people who drink alcohol, but also those who have problems with the cardiovascular system.
• Stroke . This disease affects people who abuse alcohol in large quantities. The reasons are an increase in pressure and a change in the walls of the vessels of the brain. But, according to the assurances of English and French scientists, regular consumption of one glass of good red wine reduces the risk of stroke.
• Vomit . Even if the level of ethanol in the blood is not lethal, a person can die due to paralysis of the muscle that closes the trochea. When vomiting, during alcohol poisoning, it enters the lungs, resulting in suffocation.
• Poisoning by alcohol substitutes. Unscrupulous manufacturers sometimes add additives to alcoholic beverages for degree, taste, and so on. With a weakened immune system or chronic diseases, poisoning with these additives is deadly.
• Traumatic brain injury when falling. Often drinking alcoholic beverages occurs in a wide variety of places. And then the man tries to get home. But in connection with alcohol intoxication, coordination is disturbed in a person. Often he stumbles, and sometimes he falls. A fall can result in a head injury.
• Hypothermia. The sense of time and place is lost due to the alcohol in the blood. Drunk people can fall and instantly fall asleep in the same place. In the summer it can still end happily, but in the winter it is unlikely. An unconscious person does not feel how his body is cooling down, blood flows through the organs irregularly. As a result, hypothermia sets in, which ends in death.

How to avoid death from alcohol poisoning

Knowledge of first aid for alcohol poisoning will not hurt anyone. If you notice that a person has received alcohol poisoning, then the algorithm of actions is as follows:

• The very first thing to do is call an ambulance. Like it or not, but specialists know better than anyone how to deal with this problem.
• Stop alcohol from entering the bloodstream. To do this, you will have to use an unaesthetic method. Put a person who has been poisoned on his side, since in a horizontal position on his back, it is likely that he will choke on vomit. Induce vomiting by irritation of the root of the tongue. Do not leave the victim unattended even for a minute until the ambulance arrives.
• If possible, evoke feelings. Accelerate blood circulation by strongly rubbing the ears.
• If the ambulance has not yet arrived, rinse the stomach of the poisoned person. This will require a solution that is prepared from a liter of chilled, but brought to a boil, water and a tablespoon of soda. Make the person drink this solution.
• After the stomach has been washed, the person needs to take activated charcoal tablets. One for every kilogram of weight, plus one.

Death from alcohol is fixed constantly and all over the world. This problem has become so huge that neither rehabilitation centers, nor psychologists, nor narcologists can cope with it. The worst thing is that it is very difficult to convey information about the consequences to people suffering from this kind of addiction, they dispute their disease and continue to drink without restrictions. Even patient coding does not help here.

Why people die from alcohol intoxication

Ethyl alcohol itself is a psychoactive substance that freely penetrates the blood-brain barrier and distorts the functional activity of the organs of the central nervous system. When using this substance, a person's behavior, physiology and emotional reaction to the world around them change.

The course of poisoning depends on a number of factors, the most interesting of which are:

• initial state of health of the victim;
• the volume and quality of food consumed before drinking alcohol;
• a period of time during which a large amount of the drink was taken;
• addiction, the presence of chronic intoxication;
• patient's age;
• body mass;

According to research, drunkenness also depends on nationality and race. Thus, the peoples of the north are more susceptible to the influence of such drinks, which worsens the course of poisoning.

Ethanol destroys tissues, perverts metabolic processes, which ends with a decrease in the functioning of organs. The cells of the liver, kidneys, brain, and heart are sensitive to it. The effect of alcohol increases several times when taken together with antipsychotics, caffeine tablets, opiates and similar drugs. The onset of death from alcohol poisoning in such cases occurs instantly and is often due to respiratory arrest.

Much depends on the quality of products, because various surrogates, impurities, additives accumulate in the internal environment and also lead to the development of a number of diseases.

Stages of intoxication

There are three degrees of pathology. The first is not so dangerous, of the unpleasant consequences, only a hangover after sleep is noted. Accompanied by an emotional upsurge, relaxation, an increase in the frequency of breathing and heartbeat. Possibly impaired coordination of movements.

The second stage is characterized by an increase in blood pressure, a functional disorder of the cerebellum, as evidenced by the reeling of a person. Speech is incoherent, slurred, pain threshold increases, visual acuity decreases.

The third degree is the most severe, here a violation of the digestive system is formed, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea appear. An alcoholic coma is considered a dangerous complication - a complete depression of consciousness, the victim does not react in any way to external stimuli. It is also divided into two types:

• superficial;
• deep.

With the lightning-fast development of the latter type, the patient is almost impossible to save, since there is no time for the arrival of an ambulance team and resuscitation, death occurs within half an hour.

Symptoms of alcohol intoxication

The clinical picture consists of two directions: physiological and mental. With a distortion of the work of organs and metabolism, the symptoms are as follows:

• increased appetite;
• quickening of breathing;
• intestinal colic;
• increase in heart rate;
• redness of the skin of the face;
• decreased visual acuity, hearing;
• drowsiness;
• lethargy;
• lethargy;
• oppression of consciousness;
• nausea;
• vomit;
• headache;
• stool disorder;
• impaired coordination of movements;
• alcoholic epilepsy;
• increased urination.

As for the psycho-emotional sphere, here the following signs come to the fore:

• excitement;
• euphoria;
• sociability;
• rave;
• hallucinations;
• aggressiveness, anger;
• obsessive ideas.

If the patient suffers from depression for a long time, suicidal tendencies, dangerous actions for themselves and others are possible. Theatrical behavior is not excluded - the patient performs all the manipulations for show.

Lethal dose

The amount of alcohol that can be fatal is variable and depends on a number of factors: age, body weight, gender, race.

If we talk about average data, then for a non-drinking person, a white man weighing seventy kilograms, figures are set within 300–350 ml of pure alcohol drunk within 5 hours.

For chronic, incurable alcoholics, the data are doubled - 600-650 ml.

First aid

Initially, you need to call the ambulance team, as soon as the doctors pick up the medicines and take the victim to the emergency hospital. Before her arrival, it is necessary to perform a number of manipulations that reduce the risk of death of the patient, the algorithm of actions is as follows:

• give a drink a weak solution of soda, salt and potassium permanganate;
• induce a gag reflex by pressing on the root of the tongue;
• use the sorbent that is at hand in the home first aid kit;
• control heart rate and respiration.

The first two points are not feasible if the victim is unconscious. In this case, turn the person to one side and, in case of cardiac arrest, perform resuscitation measures: indirect massage and artificial ventilation of the lungs according to the mouth-to-mouth principle.

Additionally, it is forbidden to use laxatives, sedatives, analgesics, antispasmodics, there is a risk of worsening the course of the pathology.

Treatment Methods

In case of severe alcohol poisoning, therapy is carried out in a hospital, if the intoxication is insignificant, it is possible to administer medications at home.

With the development of the disease, doctors usually prescribe the following drugs:

• sorbents;
• saline solutions;
• B vitamins;
• colloidal substances;
• diuretics;
• organic acids (ascorbic, nicotinic);
• antispasmodics;
• hepatoprotectors;
• enzymes;
• nootropics.

With excessive arousal of a person, doctors prescribe sedatives, tranquilizers, sleeping pills.

Possible consequences

Drunkenness ends in different ways, much depends on concomitant pathologies, the concentration of ethyl alcohol. Mortality in case of poisoning is primarily due to cardiac arrest, respiratory arrest, and toxic shock.

What happens in the body when a lethal dose of alcohol is taken?

The pathogenesis is not fully understood. It is known that many disorders revolve around arrhythmias, changes in blood pressure and, accordingly, a decrease in the delivery of oxygen and nutrients. Against the background of the above, in most cases, heart attacks, ischemic strokes, as well as sudden cardiac arrest are recorded.

Ethanol directly affects the brain, namely the respiratory center, which is responsible for adequate gas exchange. When it is suppressed, impulses are not transmitted to the skeletal muscles, and oxygen absorption does not occur. Carbon monoxide, binding to hemoglobin, changes the properties of blood, increases its acidity. Outcome: violation of metabolism, transport of nutrients into cells.

Alcohol in high concentrations causes necrosis of the tissue of the liver and kidneys, the organs responsible for the elimination of poisons.

Death in diseases of the cardiovascular system

If you have a history of heart attack, stroke, malignant arterial hypertension and other similar pathologies, smoking and drinking high doses of alcohol is strictly contraindicated. This is due to several reasons:

• vasodilatation, which contributes to the redistribution of blood;
• the development of ventricular fibrillation, which is considered a near-death condition;
• formation of functional insufficiency;
• structural tissue changes (cardiomyopathy).

Sometimes a sharp expansion of the lumen of the arteries and becomes the cause of death. Among the consequences of such a phenomenon, the most dangerous is swelling of the brain, lungs, oxygen deficiency, which is fraught with tissue necrosis.

It is often very difficult to determine the cause of death during pathoanatomical autopsies, the doctor does not know exactly what was the first - poisoning or heart attack, for example.

Death from intoxication of the body, hypothermia and injuries

Among alcohol lovers, the idea often flashes that alcoholic drinks allow you to quickly warm up. Yes, within half an hour heat rushes to the skin, sweat is released. But then the body realizes that it is losing a lot of energy and gives a signal about a sharp vasospasm, blockage of pores. The water accumulated outside cools, the epithelium is not properly supplied with blood, the patient is taken to the hospital with frostbite. The situation is even worse if the victim loses consciousness due to an overdose.

A high percentage of deaths are people who are intoxicated and driving a vehicle, running out onto the road. In both cases, injuries in the form of open fractures, bruises, concussions of the brain, ruptures of the main arteries cannot be avoided. With active bleeding into the internal organs, it is practically impossible to save the victim.

Among drunkards there are many drowned people, burn patients and those who fall out of windows of the fifth, sixth and higher floors.

Death from diseases resulting from alcohol abuse

Mortality due to chronic poisoning is explained by the development of a mass of pathologies that threaten human life. Among them are usually fixed:

• persistent mental disorders;
• hepatosis;
• toxic encephalopathy;
• pancreatitis, turning into pancreatic necrosis, diabetes mellitus;
• gastric ulcer, accompanied by bleeding, perforation;
• adrenal insufficiency;
• oncology;
• cirrhosis of the liver.

Death from alcoholism does not occur immediately, the patient suffers for several years and dies already emaciated, exhausted. The exception is people suffering from psychosis, delirium, such patients do not realize what is happening to them and die in a hospital.

The constant intake of ethanol affects the functioning of the immune system, the development of nosocomial pneumonia, the formation of abscesses, phlegmon, gangrene is not excluded.

Prevention

There are no specific recommendations. Doctors constantly talk about self-control, the acquisition of high-quality alcohol and only in proven places. It is not necessary to ignore the recommendations of the doctor during the course of therapy, if the specialist talks about the prohibition of ethanol, then you should not drink it under any circumstances.

General statistics of mortality due to alcoholism

Every year, specialists draw up schedules, evaluate the effectiveness of rehabilitation services and toxicological departments. Indicators change slightly, the data is given below.

Country	Number of liters per inhabitant
The Republic of Moldova	17,4
Belarus	17,1
Lithuania	16,2
Russian Federation	14,5
Czech	14,1
Romania	12,9
Australia	12,6
Portugal	12,5
Hungary	12,4
Great Britain	12,0

In 2016, 56,283 men and women died from alcohol. For comparative purposes, in 2001, 35-40 thousand died, in 1995 - thirty thousand. Moreover, everywhere and everywhere the main percentage is represented by persons of working age - from 35 to 60 years. According to the latest data, the number of deaths among children and adolescents who suffer from beer alcoholism or who love various cocktails in cans has increased. As for mortality in our country, about 500 thousand people die every year. Suicide, acute pancreatitis, cirrhosis, and the use of surrogates are associated with tragic cases.

Everyone knows that alcoholics don't live long. They die from poisoning by surrogates or from the complications of dangerous diseases resulting from regular drinking. But death from alcohol intoxication, pathologists also state in young people who did not have health problems during their lifetime. With an increase in the concentration of ethyl alcohol in the blood, it is impossible to predict how the body will react to poisoning. Often, when drinking even a minimal dose of alcohol, a person needs urgent medical help.

Why you can die from alcohol intoxication

Alcohol intoxication is the state of the human body after drinking any amount of ethyl alcohol. Many factors influence the degree of poisoning. For some, a glass of beer drunk in the evening can become a problem and cause a painful hangover, while for someone a bottle of vodka will not cause any significant harm. According to experts, this phenomenon is not permanent - the mechanism of self-destruction is running. A little time will pass - and the only drunk glass of strong alcohol will cause death.

Ethyl alcohol refers to psychoactive substances that depress the work of the central nervous system. Regardless of the amount of alcohol consumed, the following functions of the body are violated:

• behavioral.
• physiological.
• psychological.

The lethal dose of pure ethyl alcohol for an adult varies from 250 to 400 g.. This difference is due to many factors:

1. The state of human health. For a weakened and depleted body, even a small dose of ethanol can cause fatal alcohol poisoning.
2. The quantity and quality of food in the stomach. Products with a high content of carbohydrates (potatoes, cereals) and fats (butter, lard) are able to absorb a certain amount of ethanol and delay death in case of alcohol poisoning.
3. Time. If a lethal dose of ethyl alcohol is taken within a few hours, then the death of a person is inevitable. With an increase in the time period, there is a chance to save the victim from intoxication.
4. Addictive. The lethal dose for a moderately drinking or light drinking person is the daily norm for an alcoholic. Such citizens rarely die from acute ethanol intoxication. The cause of their death is the chronic stage of intoxication or the use of methanol, a highly toxic poison.
5. Age. In an elderly person, drinking a bottle of strong beer on an empty stomach can cause a coma.

People often die from alcohol intoxication, in whose body there is no gene responsible for the processing of alcohol by liver cells. These are residents of the Far North and the African continent.

Everyone is well aware that ethyl alcohol destroys the cells of the brain and internal organs. Under its harmful influence, the mucous membranes become thinner and ulcerate, the work of the genitourinary system is disrupted, and irreversible deformations of the renal tissues occur. But why death occurs from alcohol poisoning has not been reliably established. It's just that the heart stops beating, stops and the person dies.

Outwardly, absolutely healthy young people who drink little and go in for sports die from intoxication with a small dose of ethyl alcohol. Already at autopsy, the pathologist detects a disease of the cardiovascular system. This pathology could be successfully corrected by drug treatment or surgery during life.

Pathologists often find it difficult to determine the cause of death from alcohol intoxication. Cardiac arrest could have occurred as a result of a complication of heart disease, or the heart stopped beating after drinking a large dose of ethanol.

Even a small amount of alcohol consumed can cause fatal poisoning. This situation arises when you want to take a hot bath. One glass of strong beer, a weakened body, a hot bath - and the risk of acute intoxication increases many times over.

What are the stages of alcohol intoxication

At any stage of ethanol intoxication, a person can fall into an alcoholic coma. If he is not provided with emergency medical care, then in a few hours this condition will lead to death from alcohol poisoning. The main symptoms of a coma are similar to those of a stroke. Therefore, doctors often conduct additional diagnostics to separate pathologies. The smell of alcohol from the mouth does not serve as evidence of alcohol intoxication, since it can be felt when exhaling in patients with certain chronic diseases. Specialists distinguish the types of coma listed below.

• Surface (No. 1). Patients are unconscious, but when they inhale ammonia vapor, they react with hand movements, trying to remove the irritant. The destructive processes occurring in the body cause unbearable pain to a person, a temporary dilation of the pupils occurs. At this stage, patients can often be saved by gastric lavage and the installation of droppers with solutions of glucose, mineral salts and drugs to restore damaged liver cells.
• Surface (No. 2). Patients practically do not respond to irritation of olfactory receptors with ammonia solution. The pupils are constricted, the muscles are completely relaxed. To bring patients to consciousness at this stage, serious resuscitation measures will be required to restore the functioning of the cardiovascular system.
• Deep. Reaction to all stimuli is completely absent. The patient does not respond to ammonia, does not experience pain from the effects of internal and external factors. A person is diagnosed with respiratory and heart failure. In most cases, doctors declare death within a few hours.

When making a diagnosis, it is very important to establish the amount of alcohol consumed and its strength. This is necessary to calculate the required doses of pharmacological preparations. Alcoholic coma usually does not last more than 24 hours - if a day after the start of treatment, the heart rate is not restored, then the prognosis for recovery is extremely unfavorable.

Often, with alcohol intoxication, a person does not have time to be hospitalized. A sunken tongue causes breathing to stop during sleep. There are frequent cases when cause of death is the ingestion of vomit from the stomach into the respiratory tract. An unconscious person dies after a few minutes.

In case of malfunctions in the work of the cardiovascular system, sharp jumps in blood pressure can occur. If a patient has previously been diagnosed with increased renal or arterial hypertension, then this situation is extremely dangerous and can result in a hypertensive crisis. As alcohol intoxication increases, the pressure begins to drop sharply to dangerous levels, and the person falls into a deep coma.

Dangerous symptoms of alcohol intoxication

Doctors distinguish primary and secondary signs of alcohol intoxication. A person with poor health needs to be given first aid already at the initial stage of poisoning, when nothing foreshadows to whom. Ethanol quickly spreads throughout the body, damaging tissues and internal organs.. The amount of alcohol consumed is directly related to the severity of the symptoms. Primary signs of alcohol intoxication:

1. Profuse sweating, perspiration, slight chills.
2. Pleasant relaxation, increased psycho-emotional arousal, a feeling of permissiveness.
3. The reasoning is categorical, the movements are impetuous.
4. A blush appears on the cheeks, sometimes the whole face turns red.
5. There is frequent urination.

At this stage of intoxication, death occurs extremely rarely. This usually occurs in cases of unjustified risk under the influence of alcohol.

In order for secondary symptoms of intoxication to appear, one glass of vodka will be required for someone, and five will not be enough for someone. This stage of poisoning is characterized by the following features:

1. Aggression appears or, conversely, a person tends to sleep.
2. Memory, vision and hearing deteriorate.
3. The coordination of movements is disturbed.
4. A person is poorly oriented in space.
5. There are nausea, vomiting, pain in the stomach.

If first aid was not provided at the secondary stage, then an alcoholic coma and death may occur.. There are irreversible destruction of brain cells responsible for the regulation of vital processes.

First aid

If a person is not an alcoholic, then usually at first glance it becomes clear that he is near death. First you need to call an ambulance, and then try to save the victim:

1. You will need to induce vomiting to stop the alcohol from being absorbed into the bloodstream.. The person needs to be turned on its side and put pressure on the root of the tongue.
2. It is necessary to observe the victim before the arrival of the doctor so that he does not choke on vomit.
3. You can vigorously rub a person's ears and palms to normalize blood circulation.

To avoid fatal alcohol intoxication, you need to follow a few simple rules: give up beer and spirits maintain a healthy lifestyle and undergo regular medical examinations.

A hangover is caused by the toxic effect of alcohol on the body. Ethyl alcohol, dissolving cell membranes, destroys nerve, liver cells, cell clusters of the islets of Langerhans of the pancreas. The action of alcoholic poisons on vital organs disrupts their work, causes life-threatening diseases. But is it possible to die after alcohol?

Death by hangover

Hangover symptoms can mask the signs of dangerous diseases provoked by alcohol. A serious condition after a fun party can be caused by a life-threatening illness. And there may not be enough time to help.

So, with a stroke, the “therapeutic window”, when it is still possible to save the victim, is 6 hours or even less. You need to be able to recognize the signs of the disease, to distinguish them from a hangover.

With a severe hangover, you can’t wait until you “let go”, but call an ambulance and be able to correctly argue the call so that it is served as quickly as possible.

The reasons

The threat to life with a hangover is:

• alcohol overdose, taking a lethal dose;
• exacerbation of diseases;
• the appearance of pathologies caused by ethyl alcohol.

Alcohol overdose

Death from alcohol overdose can occur if a person takes 750 ml of vodka within 5 hours. Eating too much makes the situation worse. Intoxication comes with some delay, during which the person manages to drink a lethal dose of poison.

Fatal ethanol poisoning is more often observed with prolonged abuse, in persons with severe mental and physical dependence.

Alcohol overdose causes:

• exacerbation of pancreatitis;
• pancreatic necrosis;
• liver failure.

In addition to overdose, alcohol can cause relapse.

Exacerbation of diseases

The destructive effect of alcohol is noted with the use of ethanol in any volume, and the chronic one causes diseases of the internal organs, of which the most dangerous are:

• heart damage - myocardial dystrophy, arrhythmia;
• diseases of the digestive tract - stomach ulcer, pancreatitis, liver failure, esophageal reflux;
• pneumonia;
• nervous system - hepatic encephalopathy, myopathy, epileptiform seizures;
• genitourinary system - nephritis, acute urinary retention, sexual disorders;
• bones of the skeleton - fractures.

Alcohol consumption causes a violation of carbohydrate, purine metabolism, contributing to the exacerbation of gout, diabetes. Ethyl alcohol and its even more dangerous metabolite ethanal destroy the immune system by acting on leukocytes and blood lymphocytes, distorting the body's immune response, causing autoimmune reactions.

Pneumonia

When ethanol is abused, pneumonia develops atypically.

Alcohol intake exacerbates symptoms, accelerates the development of the disease. The symptoms of pneumonia are:

• shortness of breath;
• high temperature;
• cyanosis of the lips.

Inflammation of the lungs that has arisen on the background of alcohol intake is characterized by a protracted course, requires long-term antibacterial treatment, and is accompanied by complications.

Acute pancreatitis or pancreatic necrosis

The cause of acute pancreatitis in most cases is. This organ suffers from ethyl alcohol no less than the liver, brain, heart.

Alcohol intake causes swelling and narrowing of the pancreatic ducts, which leads to stagnation of pancreatic juice, a violation of its outflow into the duodenum. The pancreatic juice begins to digest the gland itself, which is accompanied by inflammation and pain.

Alcohol increases the secretion of pancreatic juice, which increases the pressure inside the gland, causing pancreatic necrosis. This phenomenon is accompanied by the death of organ cells, their replacement by connective tissue, and the loss of the function of insulin production. Type 2 diabetes can become a complication of pancreatic necrosis and acute pancreatitis.

Pain in acute acute, worse after eating. Pancreatitis is accompanied by nausea and vomiting. A portion of alcohol taken “to improve health” will increase pain and provoke necrosis.
On the video about the effect of alcohol on the pancreas:

Bleeding of the gastrointestinal tract

Ethyl alcohol, getting into the stomach, damages its mucous membrane, causing:

• desquamation of superficial mucosal cells;
• edema;
• erosion, hemorrhage of the inner lining of the stomach.

With a hangover, the gastric mucosa loses its ability to recover, becomes thinner, which contributes to the appearance of an ulcer.

Alcohol intake provokes perforation of the ulcer, accompanied by internal bleeding, which is expressed:

• heartburn;
• pain in the stomach;
• sour belching;
• vomiting blood in the morning.

Symptoms of internal gastric bleeding from a hangover may be limited to belching, weakness, headaches caused by blood loss, black tarry stools.
The effect of alcohol on the gastrointestinal tract:

Renal colic

Drinking alcohol with urolithiasis can cause increased movement of the stone in the ureter, which causes renal colic. The property of alcohol to cause swelling of the mucous membranes leads to a narrowing of the ureter, increases pain during the passage of the stone.

The strongest pain is one-sided, localized in the back, in the lower abdomen, spreading to the thigh.

Stone passage symptoms:

• urine with blood;
• diarrhea;
• vomit.

Quincke's edema

An allergic reaction to alcohol can occur as a response to the main ingredient from which the drink was prepared (grapes, cereals), and to flavors, stabilizers introduced to improve and preserve the taste.

An allergy when drinking alcoholic beverages can occur if a person suffers from intolerance to histamine, tyramine - substances produced during fermentation, especially a lot of amines in red wine.

The ethanol molecule itself does not cause an immune reaction, but it increases the permeability of the gastrointestinal tract, accelerates the absorption of the contents of the stomach and intestines.

At the same time, alcohol reduces the ability of the liver and pancreas to digest food and neutralize toxins. Incompletely processed proteins, which are the strongest allergens, enter the bloodstream.

The reaction of the immune system to the invasion can be of a slow type, manifested in the form of urticaria, skin itching.

A dangerous type of reaction to the invasion of "foreign" proteins are fast-type allergic reactions, which include:

• angioedema;
• anaphylactic shock;
• bronchospasm.

Quincke's edema is a quick, unpredictable allergic reaction that is another reason why people die from hangovers. It is impossible to recover from this condition on your own. Moreover, you should not get drunk in the morning with an alcoholic drink that caused an allergic reaction.

Symptoms of angioedema:

• swelling of the subcutaneous tissue of the face;
• swelling of the larynx;
• skin itching;
• panic.

If, after yesterday's feast, the puffiness of the face is more pronounced than usual, and continues to intensify, you must definitely call an ambulance. The reaction causes swelling of the larynx, in which in extreme cases it is necessary to do a tracheotomy to provide air access to the lungs of the victim.

With angioedema, swelling extends to the eyelids, lips. Distorted facial features, swollen eyes. Such severe edema cannot be treated on its own, death from Quincke's edema can occur within an hour.
First aid for Quincke's edema:

Heart failure

Unrecognized heart failure can have dangerous consequences for the patient. It is easy to confuse the symptoms of a developing illness with the signs of a normal hangover. Damage to the organ is manifested by symptoms, some of which are similar to signs of a normal hangover and do not cause alertness of loved ones.

These symptoms include:

• shortness of breath at rest and on exertion;
• sweaty, cold, trembling hands;
• restlessness, inability to sit still, fussiness;
• heartache;
• sleep disturbance;
• increase in blood pressure.

Heart failure contributes to stagnation of blood in the pulmonary circulation, may be complicated by pulmonary edema caused by accumulation of sputum in the pulmonary alveoli. The presence of fluid in the alveoli prevents the gas exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide, which leads to oxygen starvation.

If the patient is not helped, he may die from a lack of oxygen. A sign of developing pulmonary edema is cyanosis of the skin, profuse cold sweat.

Heart arythmy

Violation of the contractile function of the myocardium is observed in 65% of persons suffering from chronic alcoholism. This disease is accompanied by an increase (tachycardia), a decrease (bradycardia) of the pulse, atrial fibrillation, and a pulse deficit.

Interruptions in the heart rhythm indicate deep disturbances in the work of the myocardium. The danger of atrial fibrillation is that it is impossible to identify this condition on your own and seeking help is often late.

The general condition with, despite weakness, a feeling of sinking heart, remains satisfactory. The patient's blood pressure rises, but not always to critical values, consciousness remains clear.

To identify the severity of the condition in arrhythmia is often possible only according to the ECG. You can independently try to determine the pulse deficit - the difference in the frequency of contractions of the heart and the pulse wave in the peripheral vessels. To do this, you need to simultaneously measure the heart rate and pulse at the wrist.

Pulse deficiency occurs due to the fact that part of the contractions of the heart is accompanied by such a small volume of blood ejection that the pulse wave does not reach the peripheral vessels. The greater the difference in pulse values, the more severe the patient's condition.

The danger of arrhythmia lies in the risk of cardiac arrest as a result of disruption of the myocardial automatism centers, the occurrence of chaotic signals that disrupt the contraction of the heart muscle.

Liver failure

Liver failure develops not only in chronic alcoholics, but also in people who drink alcohol occasionally. Acute liver failure is often diagnosed in the early stages of liver disease. The rate of death of liver cells (hepatocytes) depends on the dose of alcohol taken, the duration of use, and the individual characteristics of the organism.

Destruction of hepatocytes can occur at lightning speed. In this case, in a few hours, foci of necrosis appear in the liver - dead and decaying tissue. Liver dysfunction may become chronic.

Both acute and chronic liver failure are accompanied by somatic disorders and neurological disorders, reminiscent of hangover symptoms. Exacerbation of liver failure can provoke even a slight intake of alcohol, especially if it is accompanied by an abundant intake of fatty, spicy, fried foods.

Signs of liver failure are:

• vomit;
• drowsiness;
• shallow breathing.

Neurological disorders are explained by a violation of the ability of the liver to neutralize the effects of toxins, and especially acetaldehyde, a toxic compound formed during the breakdown of ethyl alcohol.

The presence of toxins in the blood affects the functioning of the brain, causing:

• fainting;
• delirium, hallucinations;
• repetitive motor movements, exclamations;
• asthenia.

Such a condition can end in hepatic coma and death if the patient is not provided with qualified assistance.

Harbingers of hepatic coma are signs:

• yellowing of the skin;
• dark urine;
• clarification of feces;
• difficulty speaking;
• hiccups, pain in the abdomen, hypochondrium on the right;
• fear of death.

If the condition is complicated by confusion, impaired coordination of movements, a specific smell from the mouth, fever, then you need to call an ambulance.

Acute urinary retention

Acute urinary retention (ischuria) is a condition when, when the urge to urinate, the patient cannot do this. Acute urinary retention can occur in patients with prostate adenoma when drinking alcohol and causing a rush of blood.

Pain in an unsuccessful attempt to urinate can be caused by a stone that has moved from the kidney and entered the urethral opening. With acute urinary retention, the bladder is stretched, a protrusion is found in the suprapubic region, and on palpation the patient feels severe discomfort.

When alcohol is taken, neuro-reflex ischuria develops. This condition develops as a result of a decrease in the tone of the smooth muscle of the bladder with an increased contractility of the sphincter.

How not to die

Poor health with a hangover is an indicator and sign of a serious illness. Vomiting blood may be a sign of a stomach ulcer, pain in the heart -. With severe pain, you should not try to cope with it with a strong-willed effort, as well as with folk remedies.

Fainting, increased pressure or temperature, worsening headache should make you immediately seek qualified medical help. It is impossible to be inactive with a strong heartbeat, confused consciousness, dizziness, painful repeated vomiting.

These symptoms may not be signs of a severe hangover, but symptoms of an acute condition. With renal colic, pain can only be relieved by intravenous administration of painkillers, no other methods will help, especially with bilateral pain, acute urinary retention, and repeated vomiting.

Warming procedures, such as a warm bath, warm compresses on the kidney area, will not help either. With acute urinary retention, all attempts to help the patient at home can only increase his suffering.

To provide first aid, it is necessary to perform a catheterization of the bladder. And with symptoms of hepatic coma, heart failure, you should immediately dial the ambulance phone number.

In addition, in order not to worsen the condition with a hangover and not to die, you should not:

• get drunk;
• take a steam bath, take a hot shower, warm foot baths;
• drink coffee, which increases tachycardia, tea, which promotes fermentation, which increases intoxication.

Conclusion

Do they die from a hangover? - Yes, if you do not seek help in time. The most common causes of death after drinking alcohol are stroke, heart failure, pulmonary edema, and internal bleeding.

In order to prevent such an outcome, when unusual or severe pain symptoms appear, you should not get drunk, use unconventional methods of treatment, take medications without a doctor's recommendation.