The toxic effect of alcohol on human life support systems. Toxic effects of alcohol Association of Clinical Toxicologists Toxic effects of alcohol

For many years, alcohol poisoning has occupied a leading position among household poisonings in our country in terms of the absolute number of deaths: more than 60% of all fatal poisonings are due to alcohol consumption.

Wine alcohol was first learned to receive in the VI - VII centuries. AD in the Arab countries, where it was called "al kegol", which means "intoxicating".

Alcohol (ethanol, ethyl alcohol, wine alcohol) (CH3 - CH2 - OH) is found not only in alcoholic beverages, but also within fractions of a percent found in koumiss, in many fermentation products, including kefir and other fermented milk products, kvass, some fruit juices. Ethanol is also present in the human body and most mammals. So, in 1 liter of blood of healthy people who did not drink alcoholic beverages, there are from 1 to 100 mg of ethanol.

When drinking wine, vodka, cognac, beer and other alcoholic beverages, the ethanol contained in them easily overcomes biological membranes, since its molecules are very weakly polarized, dissociate little and dissolve well both in water and in lipids.

Rapidly absorbed in the stomach (20%) and in the small intestine (80%), ethanol enters the bloodstream, where its concentration reaches a maximum after about 1.5 hours. The more concentrated the alcohol, the faster the absorption. In organs with intensive blood circulation (brain, liver, kidneys), alcohol is detected in the first minutes after entering the stomach. The concentration of alcohol in the blood, equal to 1 g / l, is achieved after consumption of approximately 180 ml of vodka (1 g of pure alcohol per 1 kg of body weight). The presence in the blood of 3 - 4 g / l of alcohol is manifested by severe poisoning, and a concentration of 5 - 5.5 g / l is considered incompatible with life, which corresponds to a single intake of 10 -12 g of ethanol per 1 kg of body weight (about 300 ml 96% - go ethanol) in the absence of tolerance to it (Fig. 30).

Rice. 30. Degrees of alcohol intoxication and their dependence

on the concentration of ethanol in the blood

At the same time, in people who constantly drink alcohol, tolerance to it increases sharply and they can consume large amounts of strong alcoholic beverages without significant disturbances in the body. At the same time, it should be taken into account that at a concentration in the blood of 0.2 - 0.99 g / l, alcohol already causes a number of physiological and mental changes that disrupt the ability to work. They manifest as euphoria, progressive incoordination, sensory disturbances and behavioral disturbances.

With a blood content of 1.0 - 1.99 g / l of ethanol, intoxication is observed, which manifests itself in distinct disorders of mental activity and impaired coordination of movements up to ataxia. With an increase in the concentration of ethanol in the blood to 2.99 g / l, severe intoxication is observed, accompanied by nausea, vomiting, diplopia and deepening of ataxia. A threat to life occurs at concentrations of 3.0 - 3.99 g / l, which cause a decrease in sensitivity (I stage of anesthesia); upon exiting this state, amnesia is observed. At higher concentrations (4.0 - 7.0 g / l), death can occur from respiratory and cardiac arrest. Such a condition can develop in an adult who has not previously consumed alcoholic beverages, with a dose of ethanol equal to 200 g (1 bottle of vodka or 2 bottles of wine), and in a child under 10 years old, with 15 g of alcohol. But the severity and outcomes of acute alcohol poisoning depend not only on the amount of alcohol taken, but also on the level of functioning of the liver, kidneys, neuropsychic status of a person, and other individual abilities. Therefore, extremely severe poisoning and deaths sometimes have to be observed at much lower concentrations of ethanol in the blood (1–2 g/l).

It has been established that from 70 to 95% of the ethanol that enters the human body is oxidized in the liver. The role of other organs (lungs, kidneys, brain, muscles) in these reactions is insignificant. In particular, alcohol is metabolized in the lungs by conjugation with glucuronic acid. A certain amount of ethanol (approximately 10%) is excreted unchanged with exhaled air and urine for 7–12 hours. In the liver, up to 90% of the ethanol that enters the body undergoes oxidation with the participation of the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase according to the following scheme:

ethanol → acetaldehyde → acetic acid → carbon dioxide and water

C2H5OH → CH3CHO → CH3COOH → CO2 + H2O.

In a significant number of people of the European race (5 - 20%), abnormal, atypical forms of this enzyme are found, which are ten times higher in activity compared to conventional alcohol dehydrogenase. This leads to a significant acceleration of the oxidation of ethanol that has entered the liver and, consequently, to a rapid rise in the level of acetaldehyde in the blood. Considering that acetaldehyde is 10-30 times more toxic than ethanol itself and that it is it that causes the formation of alcohol intoxication, it becomes clear why people with a high level of atypical alcohol dehydrogenase have an increased sensitivity to ethanol. This is exactly what is observed in people of the Mongoloid race, in whom, when consuming even small amounts of alcohol, an accelerated increase in the concentration of acetaldehyde is very often observed with the development of intolerance phenomena. At the same time, among representatives of Caucasian nationalities, an atypical form of alcohol dehydrogenase is much less common.

The second known pathway of ethanol oxidation is realized in the membranes of the cytoplasmic reticulum of hepatocytes through the so-called microsomal ethanol-oxidizing system (MEOS). It includes enzyme structures that under normal conditions provide the biotransformation of poisons, drugs and other foreign substances, as well as the metabolism of many biomolecules - hormones, cholesterol, bilirubin, etc.

The main of these structures is cytochrome P-450, whose activity is induced by ethanol entering the body. It is no coincidence that MEOS activity is, as a rule, increased in chronic alcoholics. In the liver of healthy people, MEOS oxidizes from 10 to 20% of ethanol, and it is included in the metabolism mainly when excess amounts of it are introduced into the body.

The third direction of ethanol oxidation is the catalase reaction. Catalase also oxidizes ethanol to acetaldehyde.

Thus, with the participation of all three enzyme systems, ethanol is converted into acetaldehyde, and the key organ for its oxidation is the liver. In this case, the main route of ethanol oxidation is the first one, i.e. alcohol dehydrogenase.

Acetaldehyde formed during the oxidation of ethanol under the influence of another enzyme aldehyde dehydrogenase converted to acetic acid (acetate).

In liver pathology caused by alcohol and other causes, the activity of aldehyde dehydrogenase is significantly reduced, which naturally leads to the accumulation of acetaldehyde. In individuals of the Mongoloid race, in 50 - 52% of cases, a defect in this enzyme was detected, which is not found in representatives of other nationalities. Differences in sensitivity to the toxic effects of ethanol are associated with this. The targets of ethanol are nervous system and internal organs.

Alcohol intake affects the ever-increasing decline in working capacity. Carelessness, haste in work, increased fatigue, irritability, memory loss, emotional instability appear. Very often sleep is disturbed, which becomes superficial, often with nightmares. The moral degradation of the individual is growing: rudeness, deceit, an indifferent attitude to the family, to official duties, the former cultural needs and interests are weakening or completely disappearing. A person ceases to monitor his appearance, becomes sloppy, sinks. All this is just a short list of signs of disorganization by ethanol of a person's higher nervous activity. But gradually the somatic (physical) manifestations of alcoholic disease also make themselves felt: headache, dizziness, trembling of the hands, pain and paresthesia in the extremities. There is sexual weakness up to complete impotence. You can often see early signs of aging. Already in the initial stage of alcoholic disease, the dependence of the mental and somatic state of a person on alcohol consumption is characteristic, which leads to the desire to re-take it. As a result, self-control is lost, sensitivity to ethanol increases, which then decreases as alcoholism progresses. Against this background, a withdrawal syndrome

(abstinence syndrome), which is manifested by an uncontrollable uncontrollable craving for alcohol, depression, anxiety, fear, hallucinations, palpitations, sweating.

Along with the neuropsychic sphere of a person, the digestive and cardiovascular systems are especially susceptible to the effects of alcohol. Initially, ethanol stimulates the function of the gastric glands (coconut effect), but its long-term use gradually inhibits both acid formation and enzyme production in them. A drinking person almost inevitably develops chronic gastritis, colitis and other inflammatory diseases of the gastrointestinal tract are often observed.

The vast majority of people who drink alcohol chronically develop liver damage. Initially, hepatocytes adapt to alcohol exposure and the detoxifying function of their enzymes is enhanced. However, as alcoholization turns into a constantly acting and quantitatively increasing factor, the detoxifying ability of the liver is depleted, the activity of enzymes that transform ethanol drops sharply, fat begins to be deposited in hepatocytes, which gradually replaces the vital components of cells. Developing fatty hepatosis, which is characterized by degenerative changes in the liver.

Signs of fatty liver appear very quickly - already after 10 - 12 days of daily consumption of 150 - 200 g of ethanol. But if you then refrain from alcohol for 2 to 6 weeks, then the phenomena of fatty hepatosis disappear. In the future, an alcoholic develops hepatitis - an inflammatory lesion of the liver, in which leukocytes penetrate into the tissue of the organ and, at the same time, the processes of death of hepatocytes proceed in a forced manner. At the final stage, a cirrhosis liver, when liver cells are gradually replaced by connective tissue, the growth of which is stimulated by ethanol and acetaldehyde. In this case, the structure of the organ is grossly violated, a barrier is created between the blood and liver cells, and, as a result, chronic hepatocellular insufficiency occurs.

As well as liver damage, diseases of the heart and blood vessels are equally indispensable companions of chronic ethanol consumption. Toxic myocardial damage with ethanol is denoted by the term " alcoholic cardiomyopathy". One of the frequent manifestations of cardiomyopathy are cardiac arrhythmias, which are the result of both the direct toxic effect of ethanol on the conduction system of the myocardium, and sclerosis of the heart muscle itself and its vascular network.

In chronic alcoholics, impotence is formed, associated with a decrease in the production of male sex hormones - androgens. At the same time, signs of feminization are found, due to increased secretion of female sex hormones - estrogens.

However, the most serious consequence of alcohol consumption is considered to be influence on offspring. The toxic effect of alcohol affects both the embryo and the fetus and leads to anomalies (malformations). One of the main reasons for the birth of mentally and physically handicapped children is the use of alcoholic beverages by pregnant women. Particular sensitivity to ethanol is noted during the 4th - 6th week of pregnancy, when the fetus may develop a group of symptoms called "fetal alcohol syndrome". It is manifested by a delay and malformations of organs and individual parts of the body, especially the head (cleft palate, reduction in the size of the eyeballs, underdevelopment of the chin, etc.). With a general decrease in the size of the brain, smoothness of the convolutions, swelling of the brain tissue, and hemorrhages are noted. In about half of the cases, defects appear in the structure of the heart and blood vessels, genital organs, and urinary tract.

One of the causes of alcoholic teratogenesis is an altered metabolism in the body of an alcoholic fetus. In particular, this is a deficiency of vitamins and microelements that are directly involved in the construction of cellular structures or are part of vital macromolecules (iron, zinc, folic acid, etc.).

In women who systematically consume alcohol during pregnancy, fetal death was often observed in the prenatal period and at birth. One-third to one-half of their children are affected oligophrenia. In the group of children born to non-drinking women, certain defects are observed only in 2%.

Alcoholic damage to the nervous system in a child at birth may not appear outwardly. However, subsequently profound changes appear in the neuropsychic sphere of such children - from mental retardation and oligophrenia of varying degrees to complete idiocy.

If nursing mothers use ethanol, their children gradually develop the main signs of alcoholism - addiction and craving for alcohol. This is a kind of alcohol addiction, when, when a certain dose of ethanol is absorbed with milk, the child calms down and falls asleep for a while, and after waking up, withdrawal symptoms appear - anxiety, screaming.

There is strong evidence that alcohol disease can be inherited due to a genetic predisposition to develop cravings for ethanol. Potential alcoholics are born to parents with an alcohol-altered chromosomal apparatus, in particular those of its links that determine the formation of biochemical mechanisms for the formation of ethanol. According to statistics, 32% of female drinkers and 51% of male drinkers had close relatives who suffered from alcoholism or mental illness.

It should be noted incompatibility with alcohol medicines. Ethanol promotes the penetration of alcohol-soluble drugs into the cytoplasm of the cells of the mucous membrane of the stomach and intestines, and from them into the blood. This significantly increases the degree of contact of the drug with the absorption surface of the digestive organs and at the same time increases the permeability of cell membranes. At the biochemical level, the consequences of the interaction of ethanol and drugs are determined by the commonality of their metabolic systems. Alcohol distracts (inhibits) the enzymes of the microsomal ethanol-oxidizing system, primarily cytochrome P-450. This enzyme is the main one in the biotransformation of such common drugs as hypnotics from the barbiturate group, analgesics, many antidepressants, etc. Due to such a competitive intervention of ethanol in the processes of drug conversion, their concentration during the half-life in the blood plasma will increase and the pharmacological effect will increase up to toxic actions. Especially dangerous is the combination of ethanol with hypnotics from the group of barbiturates, the action of which it prolongs. Even in the case of mild alcohol intoxication, taking these drugs in therapeutic doses can cause a sharp inhibition of vital functions. Cases are described when such a combination led to the death of people due to acute damage to the respiratory center. Alcohol enhances the effect of not only sleeping pills, but also almost all drugs that inhibit the function of the central nervous system. The synergistic enhancement of the inhibitory effect of alcohol on the cerebral cortex is clearly manifested against the background of taking tranquilizers. Already small doses of ethanol competitively inhibit the system of enzymes that oxidize tranquilizers, which first leads to impaired coordination of movements and mental disorders, and then to increased drowsiness and drowsiness.

A combination of psychotropic narcotic substances with alcohol is much more dangerous. A significant part of drug addicts combines hallucinogens (cocaine, opiates, marijuana) with alcoholic beverages, which leads to potentiation of their action and an increase in the frequency of fatal poisoning.

Alcohol sharply enhances the damaging effect of aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) - a well-known analgesic, antipyretic and anti-inflammatory agent on the gastric mucosa.

Poisoning by substitutes for ethyl alcohol, as well as highly toxic industrial alcohols, is very common.

Alcohol surrogates divided into two groups:

1. preparations prepared on the basis of ethyl alcohol and containing various mixtures;

2. drugs that do not contain ethyl alcohol (false surrogates).

These include other alcohols (methanol, dichloroethane, ethylene glycol, carbon tetrachloride, etc.).

Among the drugs of the first group, the most common are:

- hydrolytic and sulfite alcohols, which are ethyl alcohol obtained from wood by hydrolysis;

- denatured alcohol- technical alcohol with a slight admixture of methyl alcohol and aldehydes;

- colognes and lotions - common cosmetics containing up to 60% ethyl alcohol, essential oils and other impurities;

- glue bf, the basis of which are phenol-formaldehyde resin and polyvinyl acetal, dissolved in ethyl alcohol, acetone;

- varnish - technical alcohol containing acetone, butyl and amyl alcohols;

- "nigrozin" - stain for wood, which contains ethyl alcohol and dyes that cause staining of the skin and mucous membranes in blue.

All these substances, when taken orally, cause alcohol intoxication, similar to ethyl alcohol poisoning.

Much more toxic false surrogates, the main ones being methyl alcohol, ethylene glycol and dichloroethane.

Methyl alcohol(methanol, wood alcohol) CH3OH is widely used as one of the initial products in the production of plastics, artificial leather, glass, photographic film, in the synthesis of a number of biological products and drugs, and also as an organic solvent. As a rule, the reason that prompts a person to drink methanol is the similarity of its taste and smell with ethyl alcohol. The lethal dose of methyl alcohol ranges from 30 - 100 ml (blood concentration 300 - 800 mg / l). Severe poisoning can be caused by taking even 7-10 ml of methanol. There are people in whom relatively large doses of it do not cause subjective manifestations of intoxication, and this serves as a source of false information about the safety of methanol.

The biotransformation of methanol, like ethyl alcohol, occurs under the action of alcohol dehydrogenase in the liver, but much more slowly. Biotransformation products are formaldehyde (HCOOH) and formic acid (HCOOH), which cause the high toxicity of methanol:

CH3OH → CHOH → HCOOH → CO2 + H2O

The toxic effect is associated with CNS depression, damage to the retina and the development of optic nerve dystrophy. Even with severe poisoning with methanol, the intoxicating effect characteristic of alcohol is weakly expressed, but severe headache, nausea, and malaise are noted, which resembles a severe vodka hangover. This state is quickly replaced by deep sleep, after which the state of health, as a rule, is quite satisfactory. There comes a latent period lasting from 12 hours to 1.5 days. then muscle weakness sharply increases, pains in the lower back, abdomen, dilated pupils, double vision, decreased vision, turning into blindness appear.

The oxidation of methanol proceeds much more slowly than the oxidation of ethyl alcohol, therefore, along with conventional methods, specific therapy is used for detoxification. It is based on the ingestion of ethyl alcohol to divert the alcohol dehydrogenase enzyme to its biotransformation. This will greatly reduce the rate of entry into the blood of toxic methanol biotransformation products.

ethylene glycol refers to higher alcohols and is part of antifreeze and brake fluid. They have known poisoning since the Second World War, when ethylene glycol began to be used to service military equipment in aviation and tank forces. The biotransformation of ethylene glycol occurs under the action of alcohol dehydrogenase with the formation of glycol aldehyde, glyoxal, oxaloacetic acid. These substances have a nephrotoxic effect, which manifests itself as acute hepatic-renal failure. In some cases, only a donor kidney transplant can save the patient. In severe cases of poisoning, damage to the nerve cells of the central nervous system is possible with the development of cerebral edema.

Dichloroethane used as an organic solvent, extractant of fats, oils, resins, waxes, paraffins, for dry cleaning, extraction of fat from wool, leather treatment before tanning, etc. In everyday life, dichloroethane has become widespread as an integral part of adhesives for plastic products.

Dichloroethane poisoning is very common and accounts for about 5% of the total number of poisonings. The victims are dominated by men who use dichloroethane for the purpose of intoxication, which is due to the similarity of this false surrogate with alcohol (although dichloroethane has a specific smell).

Dichloroethane belongs to the group of highly toxic compounds, which is associated primarily with highly toxic products of its metabolism: chloroethanol and monochloroacetic acid. The lethal dose when taken orally is 15-29 ml. The lethal concentration in the blood is about 50 mcg / ml. The toxic effect of this substance is due to the narcotic effect on the central nervous system, liver damage and a pronounced effect on the cardiovascular system. Mortality in dichloroethane poisoning is about 50%.

Considering all of the above, we must remember that alcohol is a very toxic substance and should not be consumed during pregnancy, while breastfeeding, or combined with medication. However, in the vast majority of countries there is no "dry law" and the use of alcohol among many peoples has become a tradition, without which not a single holiday can do. This is especially true for Russians. So, for example, in the reference book on toxicology, the lethal dose of ethyl alcohol is indicated - 500 ml, but in brackets it is written: "except Russians." Below are the safe doses of various drinks (Table 53)

Table 53

Maximum safe doses of alcohol consumption (ml/day)

Questions for self-examination:

1. What factors determine the quality and food

food value?

2. What are the principles of rational nutrition?

3. What functions do vitamins perform in the human body?

4. What functions do minerals perform in the human body?

5. What is the biological value of food products?

6. What is meant by food safety?

7. For which product groups are safety indicators established?

8. How dangerous are modern pesticides for humans and how they

standardized in food products?

9. What are the sources of nitro compounds in foods

And what is their danger to humans?

10. What are the sources and consequences for a person of being hit

in the food of heavy metals?

11. What are the sources of radionuclides ingestion?

12. What is the danger of food contamination with different types of mycotoxins?

13. What micro-organisms in food are monitored? What is the danger

botulinum toxin?

15. What is the purpose of using nutritional supplements and why some

of which are prohibited?

16. What is the reason and possible consequences for human use

products containing genetically modified organisms?

17. What are the natural substances found in edible foods

products can be toxic?

18. What toxic substances are contained in conditionally edible

and edible mushrooms?

19. What passive toxins are found in the meat of fish and shellfish?

20. What is the toxic effect of alcohol on the human body?

21. What alcohol surrogates are known and how they manifest themselves

toxic properties?

22. What mushrooms are classified as poisonous and how is their toxic effect manifested?

action?

23. What poisonous mushrooms are classified as conditionally edible?

THE TOXIC EFFECT OF ALCOHOL

By the nature of the action, alcohols are drugs. It was found that with an increase in the number of carbon atoms, the strength of the narcotic effect increases.

Etiology and pathogenesis

When poisoning with alcohols in the urine, their concentration is low. Alcohols are excreted with exhaled air, the content in the tissues depends on the rate of alcohol oxidation. Methyl alcohol oxidizes more slowly, ethyl alcohol - faster. The toxicity of alcohol depends on the structural formula, polyhydric alcohols are low toxic (with the exception of ethylene glycol, which decomposes into a toxic substance - oxalic acid).

Clinic

Consciousness and sensitivity in alcohol intoxication are absent. There is hyperemia of the skin of the face, the skin is cold, acrocyanosis, a decrease in body temperature. Breathing shallow, irregular. Decreased corneal reflex, scleral injection, pupil dilation. There is a persistent smell of alcohol from the mouth. The pressure is lowered, the pulse is frequent, weak filling.

Diagnostics

On auscultation, heart sounds are muffled, non-rhythmic (sometimes a gallop rhythm is heard). Vomiting, involuntary urination and defecation often begin. As a complication, pulmonary edema develops. To reliably diagnose alcohol poisoning, it is necessary to determine the level of alcohol in the blood, the smell of alcohol. If the victim, in addition to alcohol intoxication, has any other diseases, then the diagnosis is difficult.

Treatment

Gastric lavage during the first hours with water at room temperature. Cleaning of the upper respiratory tract with recovery from their patency. Detoxification therapy - intravenous infusion of a glucose solution with insulin (this causes a decrease in the concentration of alcohol in the blood). symptomatic treatment.

TOXIC EFFECTS OF ALCOHOL 2-PROPANOL- the negative toxic effect of alcohol on the body.

Etiology and pathogenesis

The pathogenesis is similar to alcohol poisoning.

Clinic

Very similar to ethyl alcohol poisoning, but more severe. Taking propanol inside causes photophobia, lacrimation, dizziness, headache, weakening of cardiac activity. Dyspeptic disorders develop (diarrhea, vomiting). In some patients, hearing deteriorates, visual acuity decreases. First aid and treatment are similar to those for ethyl alcohol poisoning. In severe poisoning, a coma quickly develops, and then death occurs due to respiratory arrest.

TOXIC EFFECTS OF ALCOHOL METHANOL- the negative toxic effect of alcohol on the body.

Etiology and pathogenesis

Poisoning occurs when methyl alcohol is taken orally. According to the narcotic effect, this alcohol is inferior to ethyl alcohol, but it is much superior in toxicity, as it decomposes into toxic decay products: formic acid and formaldehyde. These substances primarily affect the central nervous system. As a result, blood pressure first rises and then falls until it collapses. Metabolic acidosis develops.

Clinic

The degree of damage depends on the amount of poison taken. The picture of methanol poisoning is characterized by the absence or mild intoxication. When taking 200-300 ml of alcohol at a time, intoxication appears almost immediately. The person is stunned, coma develops very quickly. Reflexes are lowered, involuntary urination is noted. There is a violation of breathing: at first it is noisy, rare, deep, then - superficial and arrhythmic. Nausea and vomiting appear. Very early on, such a visual impairment develops as "flies" before the eyes, blurred vision. Visual impairment can progress to blindness. Arterial pressure and body temperature decrease, pupils dilate, poorly react to light. The patient is excited. Death comes from respiratory failure.

Treatment

Gastric lavage, saline laxative. Hemodialysis with stable blood pressure, peritoneal dialysis if there is unstable hemodynamics. The introduction of an antidote - a 5% solution of ethyl alcohol intravenously drip. Vitamin therapy, glucose solution with insulin.

TOXIC EFFECTS OF ALCOHOL ETHANOL- the negative toxic effect of alcohol on the body.

Etiology and pathogenesis

Ethyl alcohol has a depressant effect on the central nervous system. First of all, the cerebral cortex and subcortical formations are affected.

Clinic

The intake of alcohol in a dose that depresses the spinal cord and reflexes suppresses the activity of the respiratory center. If the concentration of alcohol in the blood reaches 0.4%, the development of coma is possible, and more than 0.6% leads to death from cardiac arrest. If the intoxication is severe, then the stage of euphoria and arousal is replaced by a deep coma. Alcohol smells from the mouth, foam on the lips. The body temperature drops, the skin is wet, cold. The pulse of weak filling, frequent, there is a drop in cardiac activity. There are convulsions.

There are 3 degrees of alcoholic coma:

1) muscle tone is increased, there is a reduction in masticatory muscles, changes in the ECG;

2) muscular hypotension develops, tendon reflexes are reduced, but pain sensitivity is preserved;

3) deep coma, muscular hypotension develops, corneal and tendon reflexes are absent.

One of the formidable complications of ethyl alcohol poisoning is respiratory failure caused by retraction of the tongue, aspiration of mucus. The second complication is the development of myoglobinuria. Often, patients develop acute renal failure.

Treatment

Often the outcome of poisoning depends on how quickly and correctly first aid is provided to the victim. It is necessary to wash the stomach with water at room temperature, suck out mucus from the oral cavity, and if there are no reflexes, intubate. The patient is on controlled breathing, receiving a sufficient amount of pure oxygen. Symptomatic treatment is aimed at restoring the functions of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems. With a decrease in pressure, mezaton is prescribed, a glucose solution and vitamins are administered intravenously. The elimination of alcohol is accelerated by the use of forced diuresis.

The history of making intoxicating drinks goes back thousands of years.

But grape wine was especially widespread in antiquity. Wine was read as a gift from the gods. The patron saint of winemaking in Greece is Dionysus, in Latin form - Bacchus.

Harmful impurities are also contained in commercial wine. Their pathophysiological effect on the body is due not only to the strength (percentage of alcohol), but also to numerous harmful impurities. One of the companions of wine is methyl alcohol. Methyl alcohol is a neurovascular poison, and its dose of 100g is lethal to humans. Even small amounts of this alcohol affect the optic nerve and retina. Sulfur dioxide is used to process wines. It destroys B vitamins. Numerous acids (tartaric, acetic, sulphurous, and others) found in wines adversely affect the digestive organs, especially the liver and pancreas.

The alcohol content ranges from 2.8% to 12% alcohol. But beer contains various substances that increase the body's sensitivity to alcohol, enhancing its absorption. Therefore, mixing beer and vodka, as a rule, leads to rapid and severe intoxication. Wormwood, hops and other additives are added to beer to give different taste and aromatic shades. These herbs have a toxic effect on the liver and kidneys, pancreas.

Pure alcohol began to be obtained in the 6th-7th centuries by the Arabs and they called it "al cogl", which means "intoxicating". The first bottle of vodka was made by the Arab Rabez in 860. What is alcohol?

This is ethyl alcohol - a highly flammable colorless liquid with a characteristic odor, related to highly effective drugs. It causes first excitation and then paralysis of the nervous system. When alcohol enters the bloodstream, it begins to interact with erythrocytes (red blood cells), which carry oxygen from the lungs, and carbon dioxide in the opposite direction. Alcohol "sticks together" erythrocytes, larger balls are formed. The size of the "balls" increases with the amount of alcohol consumed. Such a large formation is not able to move through the capillaries, a thrombus forms (or a rupture of the walls of the capillaries - a hemorrhage), “numbness” occurs, and then the death of parts of the body and brain. This is perceived by a person as a state of intoxication. Sleep in this state is a loss of consciousness, an alcoholic coma.

There are approximately 17 billion cells in the human brain, which leaves 2% of body weight, it absorbs up to 30% of the drunk ethanol!

1 gram of ethanol penetrated into the brain kills about 200 neurons! The action of ethyl alcohol in the brain lasts 65 days!

Recovery of reversible consequences from drinking a bottle of beer (500 g), a glass of champagne (200 g), vodka (100 g) can occur with absolute sobriety within 2-3 years!

It turns out. That the hangover syndrome is a process associated with the removal from the brain of neurons that died due to lack of blood supply. The body rejects dead cells. This is associated with morning headaches. Alcohol damages the liver. Because it neutralizes 95% of alcohol. As a result, hepatitis, cirrhosis, and then liver necrosis occurs, leading to the death of the body. Alcohol is detrimental to the digestive system. A group of persons with a healthy stomach was introduced a miniature device through which it was possible to see the walls of this organ. The subjects drank 200 g of whiskey on an empty stomach. A few minutes later, reddening of the mucous membrane and swelling were observed, after an hour - numerous bleeding ulcers, and after a few hours, purulent stripes appeared on the gastric mucosa. If a person drinks regularly, then there is a stomach ulcer, cancer.

Alcohol contributes to the degeneration of the gene pool. Ethanol is able to destroy genes, which leads to the birth of sick children. The death of one or three cells at the beginning of the development of the embryo may result in further underdevelopment, or even the absence of any organ. Often the children of drinking mothers and fathers are born with an alcoholic syndrome: strabismus, congenital deafness, heart defects, with a small head, reduced brain, mentally retarded, mentally ill, with severe deformities (dropsy of the brain or its absence, cleft palate, cerebral hernia, spina bifida , incomplete number of fingers, their fusion, the absence of a part of the skeleton, etc.) In adults, there is a decrease in mental abilities, weakening of memory, dementia, personality degradation.

In mental workers, after taking alcohol, their thought processes are fundamentally worsened, the speed and accuracy of calculations are reduced, as they say, the work falls out of hand.

On average in the country per year per capita (including the elderly and infants) there are 15-16 liters of "pure alcohol". By the standards of the World Health Organization, every liter drunk in excess of eight liters shortens the average life expectancy of men by a year, women by 4 months. It is alarming that over 96% of people who drink drink before the age of 15, and about a third before the age of 10.

A painful addiction to alcohol can occur in any kind of animal if they are taught to drink wine or vodka.

Typical objects of observation of the effect of alcohol on a living organism are laboratory rats and mice. By adding alcohol to water, animals become alcoholics. In the absence of an alcoholic drink, animals behave like real alcoholics: they rush around the cage, bite each other viciously. Some, after a period of excitement, limply stretch on the floor of the cell - exactly the same as a drunkard in a state of hangover. Alcoholism of animals is accompanied by changes in their sexual sphere. They have reduced sperm production, which is dominated by incapacitated spermatozoa.

Small doses of alcohol cause underdevelopment of germ cells in males and females. In young "non-drinking" animals during the experiment, the seminiferous tubules increased by 70%, while in alcoholic rats - only by 6%!

With the introduction of alcohol into the stomach, a third of the fetuses are dead, and the survivors are much smaller in weight than in the control group. Similar processes can occur in the human body.

The most common reason for drinking alcohol among schoolchildren is: shyness towards the opposite sex, the desire to seem like an adult, to be like everyone else.

Coffee is obtained from the beans of the coffee tree. The active ingredient is caffeine. The lethal dose of pure caffeine is 10-20 grams orally. The toxic effect is associated with a sharp excitation of the central nervous system. When drinking strong coffee, a person's heart rate increases, pupils dilate, blood pressure rises, and a feeling of cheerfulness appears. There is an addiction to coffee consumption. caffeine is a drug. Therefore, people who have not received their daily norm of cups of coffee are irritated, they are haunted by weakness, headache, muscle pain.

From the review of the literature it follows that all the selected substances are very toxic to the body, as they contain a lot of poisonous, toxic substances. They have a stronger effect on a young, growing organism and are very dangerous during the prenatal development of humans and animals.

The impact of alcohol-containing substances on the cardiovascular and respiratory systems of amphibians

Substance
	Primary				Primary

Substance
	initial				initial
Beer + Balkan Star
Beer + "Alliance"
Beer + Bond

Average data on the impact of alcohol-containing substances on the body of an amphibian.

Substance
	initial	Average	initial	Average

The result of the impact of alcohol and nicotine-containing substances on the body of an amphibian.

Substance
	initial				initial
Beer + Balkan Star
Beer + "Alliance"
Beer + Bond



DISEASES AND CONDITIONS

The toxic effect of alcohol

T51 Toxic effect of alcohol

The toxic effect of alcohol

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Symptoms of alcohol toxicity

Diagnosis of the toxic effects of alcohol

Laboratory research:

• Specific toxicological studies for the emergency detection of toxic substances in the biological media of the body (blood, urine, cerebrospinal fluid)
  • Isolation of a toxic substance from biological material:
    • Extraction of poisons with organic solvents (barbiturates, alkaloids, FOS)
    • Distillation (alcohols, organic solvents, etc.)
    • Mineralization (metals)
    • Destruction (heavy metals, etc.)
  • Gas-liquid chromatography
  • Thin layer chromatography
  • Spectrophotometry
• Specific studies to determine characteristic changes in the biochemical composition of the blood (for example, methemoglobinemia in case of poisoning with aniline and nitrites, a decrease in the activity of blood cholinesterases in case of FOS poisoning)
• Non-specific biochemical studies for the diagnosis of toxic damage to the functions of the liver, kidneys and other systems (for example, the determination of blood levels of bilirubin, creatinine, urea, residual nitrogen, etc.).

Special studies:

• EEG (differential diagnosis of poisoning by psycho- and neurotropic toxic substances, especially in victims who are in a coma, as well as to determine the severity and prognosis of poisoning)
• ECG (assessment of the nature and degree of toxic damage to the heart, diagnosis of rhythm and conduction disorders)
• Oxygenometry and spirography
• Fibrobronchoscopy (emergency diagnosis and treatment of chemical burns of the upper respiratory tract)
• Emergency FEGDS (assessment of the degree and type of chemical burn of the esophagus and stomach)
• In the emergency diagnosis of toxic damage to the liver and kidneys, radioisotope methods are essential.

Treatment

TREATMENT

• Symptomatic therapy.

• • • Indications
    • Patient resistance
    • Complications
    • Prevention of complications
    • Oral toilet

• • Forced diuresis:

• Respiratory disorders:

• Violations of the functions of the CCC:
• • Hemosorption

Course and prognosis:

• In general, mortality is high (acute poisonings account for about 30% of all cases of violent death, second only to mechanical damage in frequency).
  Prevention
• Informing the public about the main toxic substances, symptoms of poisoning, principles of emergency care
• Drugs should be stored out of the reach of children, adolescents and people with unstable mentality
• The complication of the design of packaging with potent drugs (in the United States, it halved the number of poisonings among children).
  Abbreviations
• BOV - chemical warfare agents
• FOS - organophosphorus agents

• T36-T50 Poisoning with drugs, medicines and biological substances
• T51-T65 Toxic effects of substances, predominantly non-medical

Treatment of the toxic effects of alcohol

Acute poisoning is characterized by sudden development of clinical symptoms and syndromes. The adaptive mechanisms of the patient's defenses do not have time to mobilize, so it is impossible to delay in providing assistance!
Management tactics - all victims with clinical signs of acute poisoning are subject to urgent hospitalization in specialized toxicological centers:

• Accelerating the elimination of toxic substances from the body (active detoxification)
• Specific (antidote) therapy
• Symptomatic therapy.

Active detoxification of the body

• Prevention of venom absorption:
  • Emetics (apomorphine, tincture of ipecac) or induction of vomiting by irritation of the back of the throat. Contraindications:
    • Early childhood (up to 5 years)
    • Poisoning by cauterizing poisons (repeated passage of acid or alkali through the esophagus can aggravate the burn)
    • Soporous or unconscious state
  • Gastric lavage through a tube is especially important at the prehospital stage. For gastric lavage, 10-30 liters of water at room temperature are used in portions of 300-500 ml. The first portions of the contents of the stomach are kept for examination. In case of severe poisoning (especially with narcotic poisons and FOS) - repeated gastric lavages every 4-6 hours (since the poison may re-enter the stomach from the intestine as a result of reverse peristalsis and reflux of bile containing a number of non-metabolized substances into the stomach); the procedure is completed in the absence of toxins in the wash water. You can add to the water: activated carbon; egg whites (from three eggs per 2 liters of water); magnesium oxide (burnt magnesia -20 g per 1 liter of water); antidote (if the poison is known); enterosorbents (enterosorb, polyfepam.). In coma, the stomach should be washed after tracheal intubation, which completely prevents aspiration of vomit:
    • Indications
    • Acute oral poisoning with any toxic substance (in case of severe poisoning with highly toxic compounds such as chlorinated hydrocarbons or FOS, there are practically no contraindications to emergency gastric tube lavage)
    • A short period of time (no more than a day) from the moment of taking the poison (barbiturates, amitriptyline, FOS are found in the contents of the stomach 12 hours or more after their ingestion, dichloroethane - up to 9 hours, acetic acid - up to 12 hours)
    • Relative contraindications
    • Convulsions or convulsive readiness
    • Poisoning by acids, alkalis or other caustic substances (currently it is believed that the risk of introducing a probe in these cases is exaggerated, on the contrary, the use of this method at the prehospital stage can reduce the prevalence of chemical burns and reduce mortality)
    • Soporous or unconscious state when tracheal intubation is impossible (gastric lavage should be postponed until the hospital)
    • Patient resistance
    • Complications
    • Introduction of a probe into the trachea with damage to the vocal cords; in case of untimely diagnosis - the introduction of flushing fluid into the lung (acute respiratory failure, death)
    • Aspiration of washing water and stomach contents
    • Tears in the mucous membrane of the pharynx, esophagus, stomach
    • Tongue injury complicated by bleeding and blood aspiration
    • Damage to teeth when using a mouth expander
    • Prevention of complications
    • The probe should be lubricated with vaseline oil; the size of the probe should correspond to the physical data of the patient
    • Oral toilet
    • With an increased pharyngeal reflex - the introduction of atropine
    • In unconscious patients, obligatory intubation of the trachea with a tube with an inflatable cuff
    • It is necessary to make sure that the probe is in the stomach cavity (if it enters the trachea - a pronounced cough, air flow during breathing)
    • Complete removal of the last portion of the lavage, which is achieved by inserting the probe to different depths and moderate pressure on the epigastric region (aspiration of the lavage is possible when leaving the coma, when the endotracheal tube is removed after the restoration of reflexes)
  • Adsorption of the toxic substance and excretion of the toxic substance from the intestine:
    • Adsorbents (for example, activated charcoal, carbolene) are administered immediately after gastric lavage and at a later date (with secondary excretion of the substance into the intestine) at a dose that is 5–10 times the expected amount of the toxic substance (usually 20–30 g)
    • Laxatives (sodium or magnesium sulfate, p - p sorbitol with activated charcoal; in case of poisoning with dichloroethane, carbon tetrachloride, chloroform, instead of a saline laxative, 100 ml of vaseline oil is administered through a probe) is used for poisoning with a substance that is slowly absorbed in the intestine, ineffectiveness or untimely gastric lavage . Laxatives have no independent value for accelerated detoxification of the body
    • Cleansing enema (controversial use: possible increased absorption of toxins; high risk of hyperosmolar coma; ineffective in the first hours after poisoning)
    • Pharmacological (10-15 ml of 4% r - ra potassium chloride for 40% r - re glucose i.v. and 2 ml pituitrin i / m) and electrical stimulation of the intestine (using a special apparatus)
    • Direct probing of the intestine and the introduction of special solutions (intestinal lavage)
  • In case of inhalation poisoning, the victim should be taken out to clean air, the airways should be kept open, and oxygen should be inhaled. Treatment is prescribed depending on the type of substance that caused the poisoning.
  • In case of contact with toxic substances on the skin - washing the skin with running water
  • When toxic substances are introduced into cavities (into the rectum, vagina, bladder), they should be washed with enemas, douching, etc.

• Accelerating the elimination of toxic substances from the body:
  • Forced diuresis:
    • Compensation for hypovolemia and water load: plasma-substituting r - ry (polyglucin, hemodez), 5% r - r glucose in a volume of 1–1.5 l intravenously drip
    • The introduction of a diuretic: 30% r - r urea or 15% r - r mannitol in / in a stream at a dose of 1 g / kg; furosemide 80–200 mg IV
    • Continuation of the water load p - rami electrolytes; the rate of administration of r - ra should correspond to the rate of diuresis (800-1200 ml / h)
    • Sodium bicarbonate (4% r - r 500-1500 ml / day in / in drip) - in case of poisoning with chemicals with an acidic reaction r - ditch, barbiturates, salicylates, hemolytic poisons; 5% r - r ascorbic acid IV - in case of poisoning with phencyclidine, amphetamine and fenfluramine
    • The method is contraindicated in case of cardiovascular insufficiency, impaired renal function with oliguria, azotemia
  • Plasmapheresis is performed using centrifuges or special separators. Usually about 1.5 liters of plasma is removed, replacing it with saline solutions or fresh frozen plasma.
  • Detoxification hemosorption - perfusion of the patient's blood through a detoxifier with activated carbon or another type of sorbent
  • Hemodialysis using the "artificial kidney" device in terms of the rate of purification of blood from poisons (clearance) is 5-6 times higher than the method of forced diuresis:

Conditions for carrying out: sufficient concentration of the poisonous substance in the plasma; easily destructible connection of poison with protein; free passage of the poisonous substance through the dialysis membrane:

• Contraindication - acute cardio - vascular insufficiency:
  • Peritoneal dialysis is used to remove toxic substances that can be deposited in adipose tissues or bind tightly to plasma proteins. Sterile dialysis fluid, heated to 37 ° C, in an amount of 2 liters is injected into the abdominal cavity through a sewn-in fistula and replaced every 30 minutes. The method can be applied in acute cardio - vascular insufficiency. Contraindications: pronounced adhesive process in the abdominal cavity and late pregnancy
  • Replacement of the recipient's blood with the donor's blood is indicated for acute poisoning with chemicals that cause the formation of methemoglobin, a long-term decrease in the activity of cholinesterases, and massive hemolysis. Contraindication - acute cardio - vascular insufficiency.

Specific (antidote) therapy is effective in the early phase of acute poisoning - from the first hours to 2-3 days (in case of poisoning with salts of heavy metals - up to 8-12 days); used subject to reliable diagnosis of the type of intoxication. The main mechanisms of action of antidotes:

• Inactivating effect on a toxic substance in the gastrointestinal tract (for example, the introduction of various sorbents into the stomach)
• Interaction with a toxic substance in the internal environments of the body (for example, sodium dimeracoptopropanesulfonate, tetacin - calcium, disodium salt of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, penicillamine for the formation of soluble compounds with metals and their excretion in the urine)
• Influence on the metabolism of toxic substances (for example, ethyl alcohol in case of poisoning with methyl alcohol and ethylene glycol prevents the formation of toxic metabolites)
• Enzyme reactivation (eg, cholinesterase reactivators [trimedoxin bromide] for FOS poisoning)
• Antagonism (eg, atropine and acetylcholine, neostigmine methyl sulfate and pachycarpine)
• Reducing the toxic effect of animal toxins (antitoxic serums).

Symptomatic therapy, maintenance of vital functions.

• Respiratory disorders:
  • The obstructive form occurs as a result of retraction of the tongue, aspiration of vomit, severe bronchorrhea and salivation. It is necessary to clean the oral cavity and pharynx, remove the tongue with a tongue holder and insert the air duct. With significant salivation and bronchorrhea - 1 ml of 0.1% r - ra atropine. Burns of the upper respiratory tract require urgent lower tracheostomy
  • The central form develops against the background of a deep coma and is manifested by the absence or apparent insufficiency of independent respiratory movements. Ventilation required after endotracheal intubation
  • The pulmonary form occurs with the development of a pathological process in the lungs (toxic pulmonary edema, acute pneumonia, etc.). In severe poisoning with impaired respiratory function, early antibiotic therapy is indicated. In case of toxic pulmonary edema (vapors of ammonia, chlorine, concentrated acids, poisoning with phosgene and nitrogen oxides), intravenous prednisolone 30–60 mg (repeated if necessary), 100–150 ml of 30% urea solution (or furosemide 80–100 mg), carry out oxygen therapy
  • Hemic hypoxia (methemoglobinemia, hemolysis, carboxyhemoglobinemia) and tissue hypoxia (blockade of tissue respiratory enzymes in case of cyanide poisoning). Early oxygen therapy and specific antidote therapy are needed.

• Violations of the functions of the CCC:
  • Toxic shock (low blood pressure, pallor of the skin, tachycardia and shortness of breath, metabolic acidosis, decrease in BCC, CVP, decrease in stroke volume of the heart)
    • Plasma-substituting fluids (polyglucin) and 10-15% r - r glucose in / in drip until blood pressure and CVP normalize (sometimes up to 10-15 l / day)
    • Prednisolone IV up to 500–800 mg/day
    • With metabolic acidosis - 300–400 ml of 4% solution of sodium bicarbonate intravenously drip
    • In case of poisoning with cauterizing poisons - relief of pain syndrome (narcotic analgesics, neuroleptanalgesia)
    • In case of poisoning with cardiotoxic poisons (quinine, pachycarpine, etc.), severe bradycardia and cardiac conduction disturbances are possible; injected in / in 1-2 ml of 0.1% r-ra atropine, 5-10 ml of 10% r-ra calcium chloride
  • Dystrophic changes in the myocardium (late complications of poisoning). Prescribe drugs that improve the metabolic processes of the myocardium (vitamins, cocarboxylase, triphosadenine, etc.).
• Psychoneurological disorders:
  • With psychosis - chlorpromazine, haloperidol, sodium oxybate, etc.
  • With convulsive syndrome - restoration of airway patency, anticonvulsants (diazepam up to 40 mg intravenously or intramuscularly). In severe cases - anesthesia with muscle relaxants
  • With toxic cerebral edema - diuretics, antihypoxants, prednisolone
  • With malignant hyperthermia - lytic mixtures (chlorpromazine, promethazine, NSAIDs), craniocerebral hypothermia, repeated lumbar punctures.
• Kidney damage (toxic nephropathy) occurs when poisoned with nephrotoxic poisons (antifreeze, sublimate, dichloroethane, etc.), hemolytic poisons (acetic acid, blue vitriol), prolonged toxic shock against the background of other poisonings:
  • Plasmapheresis and hemodialysis in the early period of acute poisoning with nephrotoxic poisons
  • Alkalinization of plasma and urine with simultaneous conduction of forced diuresis (poisoning with hemolytic poisons)
  • Hemodialysis - with hyperkalemia, high levels of urea in the blood (over 2 g / l).
• Liver damage (toxic hepatopathy) occurs with acute poisoning with hepatotoxic poisons (dichloroethane, carbon tetrachloride), some plant poisons and drugs (male fern, mushrooms, quinacrine)
  • The most effective method of treatment is massive plasmapheresis (1.5–2 liters of plasma are removed)
  • Hepatoprotectors (eg, ascorbic acid, thiamine, riboflavin, pyridoxine, acetylcysteine, essentiale)
  • Hemosorption
  • In severe cases, hemodialysis.

Course and prognosis:

• They depend on the type, concentration and amount of the toxic substance, the route of its entry into the body, the timeliness and adequacy of the medical care provided.

Content

The use of alcoholic beverages in large doses has a negative impact on health, as a rule, the pathophysiological effect of alcohol on the human body is due to its strength and numerous harmful impurities. With regular drinking of alcoholic beverages, alcoholism develops. This mental illness greatly worsens health, while the ability to work and moral values ​​​​of a person fall.

What is alcohol

The modern market in our country is replete with a variety of alcoholic beverages, which differ in strength, manufacturer and composition. As a rule, the effect of alcohol on the human body is always negative, because when it gets inside, it quickly spreads through the blood to all organs, often causing their destruction. Ethanol (ethyl alcohol), C2H5OH is a toxin, when taken, the liver tries to neutralize it. This volatile transparent liquid, which has a characteristic odor, pungent taste, is perfectly diluted with water.

This yeast fermentation product can be produced chemically. It burns well, is highly flammable, and is used as a technical brake fluid, as a solvent or fuel. Often a disease such as alcoholism is hereditary, if both parents drank in the family, and they were not given proper treatment, then their child may also become an alcoholic in the future.

How alcohol affects the human body

People who love strong drinks are often interested in the question of how alcohol affects the human body? Ethanol, as a rule, is concentrated in the brain and liver, it is quickly able to kill the cells of these organs. In addition, alcohol is a mutagen. As a rule, in an adult body, mutant cells are eliminated by the immune system, but if it fails, then people with alcoholism develop cancer of the stomach, mouth, liver, and esophagus. Alcohol also affects

in the following way:

• disrupts the development of the fetus. The brain often suffers, the heart of the child is affected, and underdevelopment of the limbs occurs.
• Activates GABA amino acid receptors, the main inhibitory transmitter in the nervous system. As a result, the excitability of cells decreases.
• The high content of ethanol enhances the synthesis of endorphins and dopamine. The patient is euphoric.
• Violates the metabolism in the body. This factor provokes the development of a psychological syndrome.
• toxic action. As a rule, it is determined by an increase in heart rate, lack of air, a violation of the heart.
• The systematic use of strong drinks provokes fatty degeneration and inflammation of the liver. Hepatocytes are destroyed, cirrhosis occurs.
• Provokes alcoholic encephalopathy. The disease begins with mental disorders with static or monotonous visual illusions and hallucinations.

lethal dose

The harmful effect of alcohol on human health is impossible only when a man or woman does not drink strong drinks at all. Everyone else, as a rule, experiences the harmful effects of drinking ethyl alcohol. Only in small doses, alcohol is good for the body, but if you drink a little too much, then there will be more harm than good. Each person has their own lethal dose of alcohol. For a 70 kg man who does not drink, this is:

• 750 ml of vodka drunk in five hours;
• 300 ml of pure alcohol drunk for five hours.

For women it is:

• 450 ml of vodka drunk in five hours.

If a person constantly drinks alcohol, he can die from 3 bottles of vodka or 600 ml of pure alcohol, drunk in 5 hours or less. Normal blood can contain 0.4 ppm (‰) and this is an acceptable level. When the concentration of alcohol is more than 3.8 ppm, paralysis of the respiratory tract can occur, as a result of which a person dies. Death is still possible when the concentration reaches 2.2-3.2‰.

What does alcohol affect

Often people are interested in the question of which organs are affected by alcohol? Based on research, doctors claim that it negatively affects the entire body, but to varying degrees. The basis of alcoholic beverages is ethanol - a compound that has a toxic effect. When it penetrates into the body as part of vodka, beer, wine or another drink, it is quickly absorbed from the intestines. Further, ethanol is distributed to all internal organs. At the same time, alcohol has a devastating effect on the heart, brain, stomach and reproductive system.

to the respiratory system

We know that breathing is life. When alcohol affects the lungs and bronchi, the work of the lung tissue is disrupted, which leads to a failure of the entire respiratory system. The mucous membranes dry out, the body's immunity weakens, and there is a high risk of tuberculosis. The first sign of its appearance is a strong cough, which can occur on the second day after excessive drinking. In addition, the negative effect of alcohol on the respiratory system can cause the following diseases:

• emphysema;
• tracheobronchitis;
• Chronical bronchitis.

On the stomach

Alcoholic drinks have a detrimental effect on the cells of the digestive organs, destroying them, causing burns, resulting in tissue necrosis. In this case, the pancreas atrophies, and the cells that produce insulin die. This contributes to the fact that the flow of absorption of beneficial nutrients is disturbed, inhibition of the release of enzymes occurs, food stagnation forms in the intestines and stomach. As a rule, the negative effect of alcohol on the stomach can cause:

• diabetes;
• chronic stage of pancreatitis;
• gastritis;
• stomach cancer;
• severe pain in the abdomen.

to the reproductive system

Strong drinks are considered especially dangerous for girls and women, because their dependence on alcohol occurs quickly. Girls suffering from alcoholism are prone to damage to the ovaries, because of this, menstruation is eventually disturbed. Representatives of the strong half of humanity also suffer from excessive consumption of strong drinks. The harmful effect of alcohol on the male reproductive system is expressed in a decrease in sexual desire, the development of impotence and infertility. Drunkenness still provokes testicular atrophy, leads to the birth of an unhealthy child.

on the human cardiovascular system

Alcoholic drinks provoke the destruction of blood cells - red blood cells. This causes deformation of the red cells, while they do not transfer the necessary amount of oxygen from the lungs to other tissues. In addition, the regulation of sugar is disturbed, which causes irreversible consequences: improper brain function, diabetes mellitus, problems with blood vessels. The influence of alcohol on the human cardiovascular system has negative consequences. This may be evidenced by such diseases:

• high blood pressure;
• atherosclerosis;
• arrhythmia;
• ischemic heart disease.

How alcohol affects the brain

The central nervous system and the brain are more likely than others to suffer from ethyl alcohol. The concentration of alcohol in such organs after consumption becomes higher than in the whole body. Alcohol is toxic to brain tissue, so you can often experience a state of intoxication after drinking strong drinks. Alcohol can provoke the destruction, numbness and death of the cerebral cortex. Negative effects of how alcohol affects the brain:

• endocrine functions are disturbed;
• brain centers that regulate vascular tone are affected;
• the reaction of vegetative origin changes;
• there are problems with the psyche, memory, mental development.

Effects on the skin and muscles

Chronic use of strong drinks often provokes weakening and wasting of muscles. In addition, 50% of alcoholics develop skin diseases, because the immune system is only half working, it cannot cope with various viruses. The liver also does not cleanse the body at full strength, so ulcers, boils, allergic rashes and acne begin to appear on the surface of the skin. Alcohol's effect on the skin and muscle condition is manifested in the following:

• dehydration occurs.
• testosterone decreases;
• increased estrogen;
• muscle mass decreases;
• muscles weaken, atrophy, lose their tone;
• reduced protein synthesis;
• there is a deficiency of minerals (phosphorus, calcium, zinc) and vitamins (A, B and C);
• there is an uncontrolled replenishment of the body with calories.

The positive effect of alcohol on the human body

Few people believe that the effect of ethyl alcohol on the human body can be positive. Indeed, in a small dosage, ethanol is useful for humans. For example, red wine contains trace elements and antioxidants that the body needs. At the same time, you should drink no more than three glasses a week. In addition, red wine removes waste and toxins, normalizes metabolism, and is an excellent prophylactic against atherosclerosis. Based on the drink, a positive effect can be distinguished:

• champagne can be taken in small doses for a weak heart;
• mulled wine supports the body with bronchitis, colds, pneumonia, flu;
• vodka can lower cholesterol;
• beer slows down the aging process, reduces the risk of heart disease.

But what dose of alcohol is good for a person? Doctors recommend that men drink no more than 20 grams of pure alcohol, and women - 10 grams. As a rule, this amount is contained in 100 grams of wine, 30 grams of vodka and 300 ml of beer. Taking one spoonful of alcohol twice a week can serve as a mobilizer for the body, i.e., the effect of hormesis occurs. This method helps a person shake himself quickly. It is strictly forbidden to give strong drinks to a child. If alcohol accidentally enters the child's body, an urgent flush should be done and a doctor should be called.

Video: The effect of alcohol

Attention! The information presented in the article is for informational purposes only. The materials of the article do not call for self-treatment. Only a qualified doctor can make a diagnosis and give recommendations for treatment based on the individual characteristics of a particular patient.

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