Morphological picture of methanol poisoning.

Methyl alcohol is the most dangerous and toxic type of alcohol. It is extracted using wood distillation, synthesis from methane or thermolysis of formic acid salts. Methanol is used as a solvent in a wide variety of industries: gas, paint and varnish, fuel, perfume, for the production of resins and formaldehyde. much more dangerous than ethyl, when it enters the body it accumulates and is very difficult to remove, damaging the functioning of the liver, excretory and other systems. Methanol has a detrimental effect on the body: even 10 milliliters of this substance causes severe intoxication in a person; 100 milliliters is considered a lethal dosage. Not only is methanol dangerous for humans, animals are also highly vulnerable to this poison. The most toxic products in methyl alcohol are the products into which it breaks down when consumed - formaldehyde and formic acid.

Causes of methanol poisoning

Many people remember the incident in December 2016 – mass poisoning with hawthorn tincture. There are still debates about the true reasons and motives, but one thing is clear - a product has gone on sale that does not meet safety requirements. These were bottles labeled “Hawthorn”, they were very similar to the classic berry tincture, however, they were not a tincture at all, but household chemicals - a bath lotion containing methanol. It was methyl alcohol that contributed to the death of more than four dozen people.

Most often, methanol poisoning occurs for similar reasons - a person does not look at the composition of an already familiar drink, or drinks it out of ignorance. It is very rare to be poisoned by methanol when drinking alcoholic beverages, since it is prohibited for use not only in the food industry, but also in some others. In Russia and Ukraine, its addition to vehicle care products is prohibited. Being a technical alcohol, it is found in detergents, solvents,... In a number of countries, methyl alcohol is used in the perfume industry. The risk group includes people without a fixed place of residence and chronic alcoholics who, wanting to get the cheapest alcohol, can purchase liquid containing methyl alcohol. Also, industrial alcohol poisoning can occur in a child who has not been supervised (accidentally drinking some kind of chemical).

Symptoms of methyl alcohol poisoning

Methyl spirit quickly and destructively affects the human body; it is absorbed in the stomach, decomposing into dangerous components that block the functioning of body cells and poison all organs. Methanol causes the greatest threat to the kidneys and urinary system, affecting it almost completely. The nervous system and vision are also affected, and severe acidosis occurs.

8-12 hours - this is how long it takes for industrial alcohol to act on the human body, that is, signs of methanol poisoning appear after consuming a methanol-containing substance. The victim has:

excitation,
impaired coordination of movements,
nausea,
pain and cramping in the abdomen,
vomit,
headache,
a sleepy state quickly replaced by excitement,
dizziness,
rapid pulse, tachycardia,
aggression,
pain in the eyes, spots/mesh before the eyes,
blurred vision,
pupil dilation,
clouding of consciousness,
increase in pressure, then decrease,
copious secretion of saliva,
diarrhea,
dry mucous membranes,
convulsions.

Further symptoms if appropriate assistance is not provided:

severe pain in the head,
blindness,
chest pressure,
disturbance of consciousness,
pain in the legs and stomach,
feeling dazed
voluntary urination,
"marble" skin,
swelling of the eyelids

In some cases, the victim falls into a coma, followed by death.

First aid and treatment for methanol poisoning

If the victim drank methyl alcohol, you must immediately call an ambulance or quickly transport the person to the hospital yourself.

You will not be able to remove the poison from the victim’s body on your own, but providing qualified medical assistance in a timely manner can save lives and protect you from many negative consequences of intoxication. If in the current situation taking a person to the hospital is a faster option, opt for it, but do not forget about the exception: the victim must have vital signs, that is, a pulse and breathing. If they are absent, you need to urgently perform artificial respiration and chest compressions, otherwise you run a high risk of losing the patient. If there is no possibility of rapid transportation, you need to wait until the ambulance arrives. Here's what you need to do:

Fresh air will help the victim cope with intoxication. It is necessary to open the windows and unbutton tight clothing.
Check your breathing and pulse.
If the victim is not conscious, but breathing and heartbeat are felt, he should be placed either on his side or on his stomach, with his head turned to the side. This will allow the vomit to come out freely, making it less likely to be swallowed and choking.
If there are no signs of pulse and breathing, it is necessary to give the victim artificial respiration and chest compressions.
If the victim was initially conscious or came to his senses after receiving primary measures, it is necessary to perform gastric lavage (with the second option, be sure to make sure that the patient is much better). You should drink a couple of glasses of clean boiled or mineral water and. Repeat the procedure several times to flush out toxins and cleanse the walls of the stomach and esophagus. Sometimes, instead of water, you drink a weak solution of soda. In total you can drink up to 1.5 liters.
Give the patient any laxative to drink.
Give the victim clean boiled or mineral water to drink.

If a child accidentally drinks methanol, the same measures are taken, but with amendments. In this case, it is very important to try by any means to get him to the hospital as soon as possible. The child's body is the weakest and may not be able to cope with such intoxication. If a child has a weakly formed gag reflex, he should not have his stomach washed, just as he should not be given an adult laxative, especially in the same dosage as an adult (there are special laxatives for children). It is important to remember that the frequency of compressions during chest compressions in a child is more per minute (up to 120) than in an adult.

You must take with you to the hospital the “remains of the drink” that the victim drank. They must be shown to doctors and submitted for examination to make sure which toxic substances caused the poisoning.

As soon as the patient is brought to the hospital, doctors must administer an antidote - a substance that can completely or partially neutralize the effect of methyl alcohol. Such substances are:

4-methylpyrazole (intravenous),
folic acid,
ethanol 30% (intravenously).

Next, the patient is given laxatives and his condition is carefully monitored. Vitamin therapy is carried out, glucocorticoids, nicotinic acid, glucose are administered, and, if necessary, anticonvulsants. In case of severe kidney damage, hemodialysis is performed. Sometimes plasmapheresis is prescribed.

Consequences of methanol intoxication

Poisoning with the strongest poison most often, unfortunately, does not pass without a trace. The following consequences are observed:

long-term compression syndrome, kidney damage and, as a consequence, renal failure, oliguria, myoglobinuria, various problems in the genitourinary area,
diseases of the nervous system, convulsions, neuralgia, paresthesia, neuroses and anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, depression and poor sleep,
heart failure, moderate arterial hypertension/hypotension, tachycardia and other heart diseases,
respiratory failure, episodes of difficulty breathing,
vision problems, blindness, decreased vision, partial loss of vision.

Prevention of methanol poisoning

So, methyl alcohol causes terrible poisoning and damage to many organs and systems. Knowing this, it is unlikely that anyone will want to test the effect of this substance on themselves. But, in any case, you need to be careful and always study the composition of the products you buy. Thus, perfumes and household chemicals in some countries contain methanol. Manufacturers indicate it in the list of components as the well-known methyl alcohol, methanol, methanol, methyl alcohol. We do not recommend our readers to use such products, especially cosmetics. Inhalation of methanol vapor can also cause intoxication. If you use paints and varnishes containing industrial alcohol and harmful solvents, be sure to wear a respirator and goggles, and work in special protective clothing. If you have any products containing methanol in your home, store them in a separate place and, of course, out of reach of children and pets.

We also recommend that our readers drink alcohol in moderation and, of course, tested. We are prohibited from using methyl alcohol as a component of alcoholic beverages, however, there is always the possibility of being deceived by unscrupulous manufacturers. You need to think about safety and look at the composition of the drink you buy. Following simple safety precautions can protect you from severe and irreversible consequences.

Ethyl alcohol poisoning often occurs at home. The causes of poisoning are intentional or accidental, in children, ingestion of alcohol or its surrogates containing ethyl alcohol.

In order for ethyl alcohol poisoning to occur, it is enough for a child to take about 30 ml of a 40% solution of ethyl alcohol (vodka), and for an average-weight adult - about 170–200 ml. With uncontrolled consumption of alcohol, poisoning occurs very quickly, since ethyl alcohol is well absorbed in all parts of the digestive tract. It is especially easy for a person suffering from severe kidney or liver disease to become poisoned.

First of all, signs of poisoning appear from the nervous system. At the first stage, all the symptoms of intoxication are present, which gradually worsen. A person is characterized by lethargy, unclear speech, inability to perform simple actions, coordinate movements, etc. Vomiting is also common among the early symptoms of poisoning. The patient's skin can be either bright pink or pale. Then consciousness is depressed, the person may fall into a coma. At this stage, the patient does not respond to any physical influences, including pain. Possible involuntary urination.

When poisoned with ethyl alcohol, the heart and blood vessels are severely affected. Blood pressure decreases, heart contractions become weaker and are able to slow down. Blood glucose levels decrease, convulsions and a drop in body temperature may occur. In case of strong toxic effects of ethyl alcohol, if a person is not provided with medical assistance in a timely manner, he can die from complications - pulmonary and cerebral edema.

The combinations encountered in ethyl alcohol poisoning can be different. Therefore, when making a diagnosis, you need to pay attention mainly to two signs - the state of the nervous system and the characteristic smell of alcohol in the air exhaled by the patient. If we calculate based on absolute ethyl alcohol (96%), its lethal dose ranges from 4 grams in children to 12 grams in adults, per 1 kg of weight.

First emergency aid for ethyl alcohol poisoning.

If the patient is conscious, to free the gastrointestinal tract from ethyl alcohol metabolic products, it is recommended to induce vomiting and rinse the stomach with water in an amount of 3–5 liters. In case of poisoning, reflexes are suppressed, so in some cases even purposefully inducing vomiting does not always produce results. In such cases, the stomach is washed through a tube. To speed up the removal of toxins from the body, the patient is given plenty of fluids to drink.

For the same purpose, liquid (for example, 400–800 ml of 0.9% sodium chloride solution) can be infused dropwise into a vein. It is known that the metabolism of ethyl alcohol is accelerated when glucose is used, so 100 ml of a 5% solution of glucose with ascorbic acid (3–5 ml of a 5% solution) should be administered intravenously. Cramps, which are usually a sign of glucose deficiency in the body, are also an indication for its use. Vitamins of group B contribute to faster neutralization of ethyl alcohol - if possible, you can give an intramuscular injection of vitamin B6 (pyridoxine hydrochloride), 1 ml of a 5% solution.

If a person is unconscious, then, while carrying out all these activities, it is necessary to evaluate his vital functions in detail every 5 minutes. In case of severe poisoning, ethyl alcohol can have a toxic effect on the medulla oblongata, in which the respiratory and vasomotor centers are located. Respiratory and cardiac arrest is possible, which requires the person carrying out emergency measures to be prepared to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

When blood pressure decreases, the pulse slows down and heart sounds are muffled, 10 ml of a 1% caffeine solution is injected subcutaneously; in case of severe hypotension (blood pressure is less than 90 mm Hg), an intravenous infusion of prednisolone (60–90 mg) is performed. There is evidence that prednisolone helps neutralize alcohol in the liver. However, it cannot be used for normal and especially elevated blood pressure values. A person with depressed consciousness or who is unconscious should receive all emergency procedures in a supine position.

If the victim does not respond to attempts to talk to him or to painful stimuli, it means that he has already entered an alcoholic coma. In this case, all possible measures described earlier are carried out in the prescribed manner. During an alcoholic coma, all muscle groups relax, including the muscle fibers of internal organs. This means that such a person is at risk of suffocation due to vomit getting into the trachea and bronchi, as well as due to tongue retraction.

Therefore, the victim must be placed on his right side and the oral cavity freed from dentures, vomit or pieces of food, if any. Place a container near your head to catch vomit in case of vomiting. In a state of coma, the body temperature decreases, so it is necessary to remove wet clothes from the victim if he has involuntary urination, and cover him with a blanket. After all emergency measures have been taken, the patient should be hospitalized, even if he has regained consciousness.

Methyl alcohol poisoning.

Ethyl and methyl alcohol do not differ from each other in appearance and smell. The toxic dose of methyl, or wood, alcohol is many times less than that of ethyl alcohol, and is only a few milliliters. 25 ml is considered lethal, although in rare cases a person can survive after taking a much larger dose. Poisoning occurs if a person takes methyl alcohol by mistake for the purpose of intoxication.

Mostly, antisocial sections of society are susceptible to such poisoning. A child can accidentally become poisoned by methyl alcohol if they ingest a solvent, antifreeze liquid, or anti-pollution product. Unfortunately, methyl alcohol poisoning in children is not uncommon. If you store household products in soda water containers or other bottles that might interest a child, such accidents are quite likely.

It is necessary to avoid such carelessness, since children's bodies suffer from methyl alcohol poisoning more severely and with more serious consequences. At the beginning of poisoning, the symptoms are the same as during normal intoxication with ethyl alcohol, but for them to manifest, you need to take a larger dose compared to ethyl alcohol. Sometimes signs of intoxication may be completely absent and external manifestations of the effects of methyl alcohol begin immediately with toxic effects. However, they appear after some time - 10–20 hours after taking methyl alcohol.

The patient complains of headache, nausea, vomiting; the skin is pale or bright pink. At first, these manifestations can be mistaken for food poisoning or the first signs of the flu. Then the condition worsens, and symptoms of brain damage appear - lethargy, depression of consciousness, collapse, coma. Methyl alcohol is known for its effect on the organs of vision: take 15 ml. Methyl alcohol can lead to complete blindness. With mild intoxication, a decrease in visual acuity is possible, which is subsequently restored with proper treatment.

First emergency aid for methyl alcohol poisoning.

Emergency measures are almost the same as those for ethyl alcohol poisoning. Gastric lavage with plenty of water should be carried out as soon as possible from the onset of symptoms of poisoning. For the same purpose, if possible, intravenous fluid is given. Glucose, ascorbic acid, pyridoxine hydrochloride are administered according to the same scheme as for ethyl alcohol poisoning. Methyl alcohol greatly lowers the pH of the blood, so patients are given a 4% sodium bicarbonate solution drip into a vein in order to create a more alkaline environment.

If this procedure is carried out at the prehospital stage, you need to remember that more than 200 ml of sodium bicarbonate cannot be administered at a time (for children - more than 50 ml). Otherwise, from a state with high blood acidity (acidosis), the patient is able to move into a state with low blood acidity (alkalosis), and it is much more difficult to fight it. To neutralize methyl alcohol in the body, adults can administer 5% ethyl alcohol intravenously or orally, no more than 30–50 ml of a 33% solution.

In order not to aggravate damage to the optic nerve and retina, it is necessary to exclude the effect of light on the eyes. Why is it better to put a light-proof bandage on them when helping a patient? Transportation to the hospital is carried out in a lying position, and if the victim is unconscious, on his side. Hospitalization must be carried out as soon as possible, since exchange blood transfusions, hemodialysis and other procedures available only in the hospital can make the consequences of poisoning less serious.

Based on materials from the book “Quick Help in Emergency Situations.”
Kashin S.P.

How is it recommended to rinse the stomach in case of methyl alcohol poisoning? This question was asked by every person who accidentally took methanol. The product is used for domestic purposes and is not suitable for internal use. The danger of the substance lies in the fact that when oxidized in the human body, it releases dangerous toxins and poisons. In the absence of emergency assistance, methyl alcohol intoxication can be fatal.

Methyl alcohol is quickly absorbed into the walls of the digestive organs (less than 15 minutes) and is excreted by the body for a long time - about 5-7 days. Not only methanol in its pure form is dangerous, but also liquids containing it in small quantities. When taking doses sufficient to cause alcohol intoxication, a person exposes himself to mortal danger. This rule also applies to the widespread technical alcohol, the concentration of methanol in which is up to 12%. Complications and loss of consciousness are observed when taking 5-10 ml of methyl alcohol.

Important! What dosage of methanol is lethal? The answer to this question depends on the individual characteristics of the person and his susceptibility to the components of the toxic substance. On average, these values vary from 30 to 100 ml.

A person who takes more than 100 ml of the substance dies from cardiac arrest. With large dosages, from 200 ml, death occurs after 2-3 hours.

What happens in the body when alcohol enters it?

The overwhelming majority of methanol is concentrated in the liver, releasing deadly poisons - formic acid, formaldehyde.
The acid-base balance in the body is disrupted.
The organs of the visual system are affected, retinal dystonia and retinal detachment develop.
Oxygen deficiency of cells occurs.
The organs of the urinary system are affected, since 85% of the substance is removed by the kidneys.

The remaining 15% of methanol is excreted from the body through the respiratory system.

Most often, people use methyl alcohol, confusing it with ethyl alcohol. Suicidal attempts to take the substance are less common. Methyl from the gastrointestinal tract is absorbed into the blood.

Signs of methanol intoxication include:

abdominal pain;
nausea and vomiting;
clouding of consciousness;
deterioration in the quality of vision;
increased blood pressure;
increased salivation;
stun;
heavy breathing;
aggression.

Read also Gastric lavage procedure in children: algorithm of actions

In the absence of emergency help, the victim quickly loses the ability to speak. The patient's skin becomes pale and cold. Subsequently, uncontrolled urination is observed, and the patient falls into an alcoholic coma.

In severe cases of intoxication, marbling of the victim's skin is observed. This is due to poor circulation. Death occurs due to oxygen starvation and cardiovascular failure.

Emergency care for methanol poisoning is aimed at restoring the functioning of the urinary, respiratory and cardiovascular systems. Until the ambulance arrives, the victim is not given activated carbon or other medications with an adsorbing effect. The components of a poisonous drink are absorbed into the intestines faster than adsorbents can absorb them.

The situation is less dangerous if a person has consumed fatty foods before taking methanol. Fat slows down the absorption of toxins into the body.

At home, it is important to know how to rinse the stomach in case of alcohol poisoning. A solution of potassium permanganate or soda is suitable for this purpose. After the rinsing procedure, the victim needs to drink more fluid.

Another way to neutralize the harmful effects of methanol is to drink drinks with ethyl alcohol. The dose is determined at the rate of 0.5 ml per kg of weight. Ethyl alcohol is the antipode of methanol and neutralizes its negative effects on the human body. In case of poisoning, ethyl alcohol should be taken as soon as possible.

What else is recommended for rinsing the stomach in case of methyl alcohol poisoning? The procedure can be performed without using a probe. For adults, warm boiled water in an amount of 500-700 ml is suitable for cleansing. For children, use a solution of table salt. The root of the tongue is irritated with the tip of a spoon or a finger, provoking a gag reflex. Emergency assistance is provided to the victim until paramedics arrive.

The specialists then inject the patient with 4-methylperazole intravenously and give folic acid orally.

The main purpose of gastric lavage is to remove remaining toxic substances from the body. The procedure is contraindicated for people who are unconscious or have inappropriate behavior. Stomach cleansing is stopped when black or red vomit appears.

An effective way to cleanse the intestines of methanol is to perform an enema. For the procedure, boiled water at room temperature is used. The enema is performed several times until the patient has clear rinsing fluid.

Some people associate the term “alcohol” with an alcoholic drink or the main component of cocktails. This is true when it comes to ethyl alcohol. But there are a number of substances called “alcohols” in chemistry, but which have nothing in common with products consumed by humans internally.

These include methyl alcohol. More scientific names are methanol, wood alcohol, and methyl hydroxide. As a chemical substance it is characterized by monoatomicity. From a physical point of view, it is a toxic, colorless liquid with a high ability to dissolve organic substances. Explosive. Good as a stain remover. May be included in antifreeze products.

What is the nature of the substance?

Methanol is called wood alcohol because it is obtained by distilling wood, one of the first and most popular methods. Later, methods were discovered for the thermal decomposition of formic acid and its salts, as well as the formation from methane through methyl chloride.
In modern industry, another method of production is known - on a copper-zinc catalyst from hydrogen and carbon dioxide. It's faster and more economical.

What is the reason for the use of methanol for food purposes?

Methyl alcohol, in a percentage of 5 to 15%, can be included in denatured ethyl alcohol preparations and can be ingested by humans. Its less significant price tempts many drinkers with its affordability. And the narcotic effect is in no way inferior to that of using an ethyl product. However, being its false surrogate, it has completely different mechanisms of biological effects on the organs and tissues of the human body.

The result of such a process can be poisoning from a minor degree to severe physiological changes, first in the organs of vision, and then in the entire body as a whole. The critical impact is determined by the dose consumed. 50 ml is enough to provoke paralysis of the vital centers of the brain, and 100 ml is enough to cause death. Consuming 15 ml can provoke an irreversible process of vision loss.

How does methanol affect the body?

The destructive effect on the body manifests itself very quickly. However, it has a number of mandatory stages, including:

passage through the digestive tract into the stomach;
absorption through the villi of the mucous membrane into the blood (almost simultaneously);
the breakdown of methanol in the blood with the formation of formaldehyde and formic acid;
“transfer” of the resulting toxic substances from the blood to the tissues and cells of the body;
blocking the functional load of cells and their destruction.

This effect on the cells of the urinary system, including the kidneys, is especially dangerous.

Signs of methyl alcohol poisoning also manifest themselves in disruption of the nervous system, as well as the gastrointestinal tract.

What are the main symptoms?

Destructive functions appear quickly, but not instantly. The appearance of the first symptoms is observed on average several hours after consumption. The maximum period can be up to several days, but more often – no more than 12 hours.

Early manifestations of poisoning include:

general deterioration of the condition, manifested in dizziness and nausea;
pain in the head, especially in the frontoparietal region;
impaired perception of the world (unsteady gait, flickering before the eyes, unclear consciousness);
tachycardia;
feeling of increased anxiety, fear;
imbalance, tendency to aggression;
blood pressure problems;
shortness of breath, possibly with cough.

Such uncharacteristic signs can be symptoms of many diseases. Therefore, it would be unwise to make a diagnosis based on them alone. It is necessary to take into account the medical history of the disease (find out what foods the patient consumed and what may be responsible for the deterioration of his condition).

However, if the diagnosis is not made in a timely manner, symptoms may be supplemented by:

visual impairment (severity directly depends on the dose taken);
pain in the lower extremities;
problems with urination;
loss of consciousness.

The subsequent picture can develop rapidly. A person enters the stage of “alcoholic coma”: problems in communication are noted, vomiting appears, the skin becomes cold and wet. Involuntary uncontrollable urination may occur.

Visual defects provoke uncharacteristic movements of the eyeballs and dilation of the pupils.

Subsequently, the eyelids become swollen, the skin acquires a marbled tint, and breathing is impaired. From this moment on, minutes count down. The appearance of convulsions indicates the final stage of poisoning - the proximity of death.

Symptoms of methyl alcohol poisoning may vary in intensity and extend over time, but if a lethal dose is consumed, they cannot have a different outcome, even in the case of emergency treatment.

What needs to be done urgently?

First of all, it is necessary to correct the functions of vital organs: heart, kidneys, lungs. To do this, the victim must be immediately taken to the appropriate hospital.

It should be noted right away that adsorbents will not help in this case, since methanol is almost instantly absorbed into the blood and leaves the stomach.

If the use of methanol occurred by mistake and the person immediately realized it, you need to immediately rinse the stomach and induce a gag reflex. Perhaps some of the substance can be removed.

You can neutralize a certain part of the toxic substance using an antidote, but you need to prepare it very quickly. Methanol antidotes include:

folic acid;
4-methylpyrazole;
ethanol 30 degrees

Nothing else can be done at home. Follow-up assistance is the work of professionals.
Emergency treatment should be carried out in toxicology or intensive care departments. Patients require hemodialysis, especially if the level of methanol in the blood exceeds 50 mg.

How to avoid poisoning?

Answer to the question: “Methanol poisoning: symptoms?” should definitely be familiar to people who drink alcohol and don’t disdain cheaper drinks. Unscrupulous manufacturers, in order to reduce the cost of the product, may resort to changing the recipe for preparing drinks by adding a surrogate. Such an alcoholic drink has nothing in common with products prepared according to GOST, and most importantly, does not guarantee safety and quality. On its labeling it is impossible to distinguish information about the composition or they are unreliable.

Surrogate drinks can be divided into three groups:

true (containing, in addition to ethyl alcohol, additives of methanol and other hazardous substances). This includes household chemicals, car cosmetics and others;
liquids in which there is no ethyl alcohol at all, but methanol (pure poisons for humans);
alcoholic drinks with falsified composition (sold in places of unidentified trade, do not have accompanying documents confirming quality and safety).

If in the first two cases a person, deciding to use, is prepared in advance for the consequences, then the third case is dangerous due to its unpredictability. Under the guise of a regular alcoholic drink, a person can consume methanol and get severe poisoning.

Methanol consumption is not comparable with health and a healthy lifestyle. You should not take risks to save money on purchasing alcoholic beverages. Methanol is not a cheap substitute for ethyl alcohol. This substance is poisonous to humans and extremely dangerous. Life itself may be at stake.

Methyl alcohol is a clear, toxic substance used in industry. It is also called wood alcohol and methanol. The toxin accumulates quickly and is poorly removed from the body. A small amount of methanol (up to 20-30 ml) kills a person. Therefore, in case of intoxication, you need to act quickly and consistently.

A small amount of methanol kills a person

Main symptoms of methanol poisoning

The toxicoinfection clinic is based on how much poison a person has taken and how susceptible the body is to the toxin.

Sometimes the symptoms of the disease resemble mild intoxication. Signs of methanol poisoning appear after 12 hours. The latent period is quite long, because during this time the poison breaks down into secondary products - formaldehyde and formic acid. These substances lead to intoxication of the human body and are difficult to treat.

Doctors call the main symptoms of methanol poisoning:
drowsiness;
indigestion;
pain and cramps in the abdomen;
headache;
convulsions;
rapid heartbeat (tachycardia);

disruption of the visual system and others.

After a couple of days, doctors observe symptoms characteristic of methanol poisoning. The victim's condition worsens, the person may become completely or partially blind, and toxins affect the nervous system. If the poisoning is severe, a coma may occur or the person may die.

Symptoms characteristic of methanol poisoning

First aid for alcohol intoxication

The clinical picture of methanol intoxication is such that one condition is quickly replaced by another. Therefore, you need to act quickly. If symptoms of wood alcohol poisoning are clearly visible, you must call an ambulance or take the victim to the hospital. Before a team of specialists or a hospital arrives, doctors advise providing the person with emergency care. First aid for methyl alcohol poisoning depends on the condition of the patient and the symptoms that have already appeared.

When a person has lost consciousness, but is still breathing, emergency care consists of maintaining this state until qualified help arrives and treatment begins. The patient is placed on his stomach, warmed up and his head is placed on the side so that he does not suffocate if he suddenly vomits. If the pulse has disappeared and there are no signs of life, the victim is given artificial respiration and chest compressions.

Treatment of methanol intoxication

The main course of therapy takes place in a hospital, where the victim must undergo gastric and intestinal lavage. The toxicologist administers an antidote to the victim. In severe cases, treatment lasts in the intensive care unit. Doctors use the following antidotes for wood alcohol poisoning:

Ethyl alcohol (intravenously and orally).
Folic acid (orally).
4-methylpyrazole (intravenous).

The main course of therapy takes place in a hospital

Further treatment depends on the clinical picture of methanol intoxication. Doctors do blood and urine tests to find out the concentration of the poison and prescribe adequate treatment.

Consequences of wood alcohol poisoning

The ability of methanol to accumulate in the human body leads to serious consequences. A person dies within three days or earlier (depending on the dose and time before the antidote is administered). If the victim survives, the activity of all systems is disrupted. He remains disabled.

The visual system is one of the first to react to poison. The victim has serious vision problems or becomes permanently blind. Main symptoms:

eyes swell;
the retina detaches;
the optic nerve dies.

If a person was in a comatose state, then he will have problems with the nervous and cardiovascular systems. Disorders from the nervous system are possible: from a state of strong excitement to complete apathy and powerlessness, loss of consciousness. Cardiovascular failure occurs from exposure to a toxic substance in the body.

Exposure to alcohol toxin affects the stomach and liver. If the victim has been in a coma for a long time, prolonged compartment syndrome occurs. His clinical picture includes kidney failure and manifestations of problems with the genitourinary system. In such cases, the victim undergoes courses of treatment and prevention throughout his life.

Methyl alcohol poisoning leads to serious illnesses throughout the body. Therefore, adequate emergency care, correct identification of symptoms and subsequent qualified treatment will help minimize the consequences and save a person’s health and life.