Alcohol Flashcards
(34 cards)
Limit of units a week
14
What is considered a binge drink?
6 or more units in one sitting
Maximum units a week whilst breast feeding
<1-2 a week
Effect of alcohol on the CNS
- Negative inotropic effects = decrease contractility of heart > heart beats faster > sensation of heavy heart beat
- CNS depressant: increases GABA (inhib of neurotransmitters) = disinhibition, memory loss, confusion, loss of muscular coordination, slurred speech, depressed resp control
Alcohol hepatitis
- acute life threatening manifestation
- parenchymal inflammation and hepatocycte damage
- high risk of renal failure, bleeding, infections
- abdominal pain after drinking alcohol
Acute gastritis
Patient presenting with vomiting after alcohol consumption
Alcoholic Ketoacidosis
- high glucagon
- low insulin
- low sugar levels
Acute pancreatitis
Epigastric abdominal pain after drinking alcohol
- not only associated with chronic drinkers
Chronic pancreatitis
Assoc. with chronic alcohol misuse - scaring and sclerosis (stiffening) and pseudocyst formation
Wernicke’s syndrome
- Typically patient - known alcoholic
- result of thiamine deficiency
- bit shaky, jerky eye movements
- follows conversation no problem
- treatment: thiamine replacement
- can lead to Korsakoff syndrome
Korsakoff syndrome
- develops from the Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome
- involves cerebral atrophy
- inability to retain new information and replacement of memorises with whatever information is available at the time
- low chance of recovery
Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome
- thiamine defining
- results in cytotoxic oedema leading to ocular dysfunction, ataxic gait, acute confusion
- treatment: thiamine replacement over 5 days (should resolve in a few hours)
Dilated cardiomyopathy
The cardiomyopathy most associated with alcoholism
Holiday heart syndrome
- binge drinking on otherwise healthy heart
- most commonly causes a SVT
- spontaneous resolution
Steatohepatitis
Excess NADH production
Thiamine deficiency
- clinical signs include beriberi syndrome
- wet beriberi - affects CVS
- dry beriberi - affects CNS
Aspiration pneumonia
Most likely in right lower lobe
Methanol poisining
- low bicarbonate
- treatment - ethanol
Metabolic acidosis
- heavy drinking with the absence of vomit
- activates alternate pathways (MEOS, Krebs cycle)
Ascites
Abdominal pain after drinking alcohol due to abnormal fluid build up in abdomen
Peptic ulceration
Presents with abdominal pain after drinking alcohol
Alcohol related steatosis
- hepatocyctes swelling with triglycerides
-reversible with cessation of drinking
What to Look out for the following in a sporadic drink who has presented after an evening of binge drinking
- Mallory Weiss tear
- aspiration pneumonia
- trauma
What to look out for in chronic drinkers
- ascites
- oesophageal varices
