Alcohol Flashcards
(37 cards)
What can methanol be present in that a patient may have taken?
contaminated home brew.
What is methanol metabolised to?
formaldehyde and then formic acid
What is the main symptom of methanol poisoning?
blindness
What is the treatment for methanol poisoning?
ethanol +/- dialysis
What is the recommended maximum alcohol consumption per week?
14 units with rest days and should not be consumed in 3 continuous days.
You should not drink on an empty stomach, true/false? explain?
true - alcohol mostly absorbed in the small bowel, the longer the alcohol is kept in the stomach the more metabolised it will be - full stomach will slow gastric emptying.
At what levels of alcohol is absorption slowest?
high levels
What do spirits do to the stomach?
irritate gastric mucosa and delay emptying
What types of drinks are absorbed fastest?
aerated drinks - champagne.
What alcohol concentrations are absorbed fastest?
20-40%
Why do men generally have higher alcohol tolerances?
higher mean lean mass, women tend to have lower levels of alcohol dehydrogenase.
Which ethnic groups generally low levels of alcohol dehydrogenase?
south east asians - Japanese people
Drinking regularly increases your tolerance, true/false?
true
Why does drinking alcohol make you urinate more?
- tend to drink more alcohol
- inhibits ADH so reduces water reabsorption
is it better to drink small amounts of alcohol regularly or none?
none - no health benefits from alcohol
What is alcohol metabolised by?
alcohol dehydrogenase
What is alcohol metabolised into?
acetaldehyde
what is acetaldehyde metabolised by and what into?
acetate and then into CO2 and water
Where does alcohol metabolism occur?
90% in liver but also in brain and pancreas
At what rate is alcohol generally removed at?
15mg/100ml/hour - one unit per hour.
Example of alternative pathway which may be activated by heavy drinking?
MEOS pathway.
What are the consequences of the MEOS pathway being activated?
lots of hydrogen ions produced which may be disposed of by inhibition of hepatic gluconeogenesis, citric acid cycle inhibition and fatty acid oxidation impairment.
What is the result of inhibition of hepatic gluconeogenesis?
end up craving fatty and sweet foods - especially next morning
What is the result of citric acid cycle inhibition?
switch to anaerobic metabolism - more likely to produce lactic acid
