ALCOHOL Flashcards
What is acute intoxication?
a transient condition that follows the administration of alcohol or a psychoactive substance and results in disturbances in the level of consciousness, cognition, perception, judgment, affect or behavior, or other psychophysiological functions and responses.
What is acute intoxication?
A pattern of reversible physical and mental abnormalities caused by direct effects of the substance
What are the behavioural effects of alcohol when blood alcohol concentration is 20-99mg/dL (0.02-0.099%)?
Impaired cognition and euphoria
What are the behavioural effects of alcohol when blood alcohol concentration is 100-199mg/dL (0.10-0.199%)?
Ataxia, poor judgement, labile mood
What are the behavioural effects of alcohol when blood alcohol concentration is 200-299mg/dL (0.20-0.299%)?
Marked ataxia, slurred speech, poor judgement, labile mood, nausea and vomiting
What are the behavioural effects of alcohol when blood alcohol concentration is 300-399mg/dL (0.30-0.39%)?
Stage 1 anaesthesia, memory lapse, labile mood
What are the behavioural effects of alcohol when blood alcohol concentration is 400+mg/dL (?0.40%)?
Respiratory failure, coma, death
What is binge drinking?
Drinking twice the daily limit in a single session. >6 units in women and >8 units in men
What is considered harmful use of alcohol?
a pattern of alcohol consumption causing health problems, physical or mental, directly related to alcohol.
What proportion of cases of alcohol misuse will lead to chronic alcohol dependance?
25%
What is alcohol dependance?
craving, tolerance, a preoccupation with alcohol and continued drinking in spite of harmful consequences
What are the diagnostic guidelines for dependance?
3 or more of the following present together at some time during the previous year:
- a strong desire to take the substance
- difficulties in controlling substance-taking behaviour (onset, termination, levels of use)
- a physiological withdrawal state when substance use has ceased/reduced or use of the same substance with the intent of relieving or avoiding withdrawal symptoms
- evidence of tolerance (increased doses required to achieve effects originally produces by lower doses)
- progressive negelect of alternative pleasures and interests because of psychoactive substance use
- persisting with substance use despite clear evidence of overtly harmful consequence
- narrowing of the personal repertoire of patterns of drinking
What is tolerance?
a need for markedly increased amounts of a substance to achieve intoxication or desired effect. Or marked diminished affect with continued use of same amount of a substance
For those with alcohol problems, Whats the increased risk of dying compared with the general population of the same age and sex?
2-3 times higher
Whats the genetic component to alcohol misuse?
There is a 7 fold increased risk of alcoholism among 1st degree relatives of alcoholics
Male monozygotic twins have 70% risk of alcoholism if their twin has it
P300 predicts alcohol abuse
Adoption studies: Sons of alcoholics are 4x more likely to be alcoholic than sons of non-alcoholics, regardless of the drinking patterns of adoptive parents
What may contribute to risk patterns of alcoholism among oriental populations?
Variations in allele compositions for alcohol dehydrogenase and aldehyde dehydrogenase
Outline the biochemical effects of alcoholism?
Chronic alcohol consumption enhances GABA mediated inhibition in the CNS and inhibits NMDA-type glutamate receptors = sedation and amnesia
Alcohol stimulates dopamine release in nucleus accumbens and potentiates effects of serotonin = euphoria
What are some psychodynamic factors for alcoholism aetiology?
Maternal overprotection
Childhood sexual abuse
What are the behavioural factors for alcoholism aetiology?
Modelling from parents, relatives, peers etc (i.e. social norm)
Euphoriant effect is a positive reinforcer
In times of stress and negative life events people turn to alcohol
What are the 2 personalities of alcoholics?
Type 1 - more dependant, starts later in life, anxious, rigid, guilty, mother or father as alcoholic
Type 2 - early onset, socially detached, distractingly, confident, aggressive, behaviour is linked to a similar pattern in the biological father
Which groups of people are alcohol disorders more common in?
Homeless
Lower socioeconomic groups
Adverse childhood experiences
Parents had alcohol or substance abuse
Psychiatric illness
Those living in urban areas
Divorced/separated
Those who sell alcohol
Entertainers, doctors, journalists,
In places where excess consumption is societal norm
What systems can alcohol have consequences on?
Hepatic
GI
Haematological
Neurological
Cardiovascular
Pregnancy
Social
What are alcohol related consequences concerning the liver?
Fatty liver - 90% of drinkers
Alcoholic hepatitis
Cirrhosis - 10% of chronic alcoholics
Carcinomas - 15% of those with cirrhosis
Portal hypertension
Having 80g of alcohol a day for >10 years increases the risk of liver disease by how much?
Nearly 100%
Which antigen makes a person more vulnerable to cirrhosis and which has a protective affect?
HLA-B8 vulnerable
HLA-A28 protective
What are alcohol related consequences concerning the GI system,?
Barretts oesophagitis
Oesophageal varices
Mallory-Weiss tears
Peptic ulceration and gastritis
Cancers: oropharnyx, larynx, oedeophagus, liver
Diabetes mellitus
What are alcohol related consequences concerning the haematological system?
Macrocytosis
Thrombocytopenia and anaemia may also occur
Neutropenia
Zieve’s syndrome
What is Zieves syndrome?
A rare form of alcoholic haemolysis secondary to alcoholic induced liver injury
It’s a triad of jaundice, haemolytic anaemia and hyperlipidaemia
What are alcohol related consequences concerning the neurological system?
Delirium tremens
Withdrawal seizures
Cerebella degeneration
Haemorrhagic stroke
Peripheral and optic neuropathy
Wernickes encephalopathy and Korsakoff’s syndrome
Alcohol dementia
What is delirium tremens
The most serious withdrawal state that occurs 2-3 days after withdrawal.
Pt have rapid onset confusion and will be disorientated and agitated. They have tremor and visual hallucinations
They would be sweating, tachycardia, tachypnoeic and pyrexia
Complications include dehydration, infection, hepatic disease and wernicke-korsakoff syndrome
What is alcoholic hallucinosis?
When auditory hallucinations occur alone in clear consciousness. It usually clears in a few days but may be followed by secondary delusional misinterpretation
sometimes may progress to a chronic form mimicking schizophrenia
What causes wernicke-korsakoff syndrome?
Lack of thiamine
What are alcohol related consequences concerning the cardiovascular system?
Hypertension
Arrhythmias
IHD
Alcoholic cardiomyopathy
What are alcohol related consequences concerning the pregnancy?
Alcohol in pregnancy is associated with increased risk of:
- stillbirth
- neonatal mortality
- low birth weight
- later difficulties with attention e.g. ADHD
- distractability
- foetal alcohol syndrome
What are signs of foetal alcohol syndrome?
Microcephaly, mental retardation, low birth weight, cleft palate, ptosis, scoliosis, abnormal dermatoglyphics, congenital heart disease, congenital renal disease
How much do you have to drink to cause foetal alcohol syndrome?
4-5 units a day
What are some social-related consequences caused by alcohol?
Increased rates of abuse of partner, divorce, child abuse, later alcoholism in children, 2.5 times as many days off work, decreased productivity, sexual difficulties, financial diffiuclties, crime, homelessness
What proportion of alcoholics meet criteria for another psychiatric disorder?
47%
What proportion of alcoholics have depressive symptoms?
70-90%
What proportion of completed suicides is associated with heavy drinking?
25%
Alcoholics have >7 times the expected suicide rate
What are some psychiatric consequences of alcoholism?
Depression
Suicides
Anxiety
Schizophrenia
Morbid jealousy
Delirium tremens
When does risk of delirium tremens increase?
4 to 5 pints of wine, 7 to 8 pints of beer, or 1 pint of hard liquor every day for several months. Similarly, delirium tremens can also affect people who have used alcohol for more than 10 years.
Whats the classic triad for delirium tremens?
Clouding of consciousness and confusion
Vivid hallucinations that are visual or tactile
Marked tremor
Which function areas of the brain are affected (in order) when we drink alcohol?
Prefrontal - ntellect - loss of reasoning and moral codes
Amygdala - Emotions - higher emotions
Cerebellum - Motor function - impairment of coordination, balance and judgement
Hippocampus - loss of memories
Hypothalamus and pituitary - Involuntary systems - nausea and vomiting as food fails to be properly digested, libido increases but ability to perform the sexual act is lose
Medulla oblongata - Vital systems - unconsciousness, vital organs start to shut down and can cause death
How should you assess someone for alcohol misuse?
Take a longitudinal (life time) and cross sectional history (current) about alcohol use
Investigations including blood test to see raised GGT, MCV and low ALT
Assess for evidence of dependance using ICD10 criteria
Ask about physical, mental and social complications
Risk assess
What does an AST:ALT >1 suggest?
Alcoholic liver disease
What 2 questionnaires are used for alcohol use?
CAGE and AUDIT-C
What is the CAGE questionnaire?
Have you ever felt you should Cut down on drinking?
Have people Annoyed you by criticising your drinking?
Have you ever felt Guilty about your drinking?
Have you ever had a drink first thing in the morning to steady nerves or rid of a hangover (Eye opener)?
A total score of 2 or more is considered clinically significant