Consequences of Alcohol Flashcards
What are the acute consequences of alcohol?
CNS -Accidents -Violence Gastrointestinal -Oesophagitis, Gastritis/ulceration -Acute Pancreatitis Respiratory -Overdose -Aspiration
What can chirrosis lead to?
hepatocellular cancer
What are the acute consequences of alcohol in the CNS?
Neuropathies
Cerebellar degeneration
Dementia
Wernicke-Korsakoff’s syndrome
What are the acute cardiovascular consequences of alcohol?
Hypertension
Cardiomyopathy
Myocardial infarction
Stroke
What happens in youths when they drink alcohol?
smaller hippocampal memory areas
What is foetal alcohol syndrome?
7-14 drinks/wk (particularly > 5 per occasion) can cause
moderate damage
Results: growth deficiency, mental retardation/intellectual impairment, attentional learning disabilities & behavioural problems
What are the four characteristics of alcoholic cirrhosis?
inflmmation
hepatocyte injury
fibrosis
impaired regeneration
What can a normal liver exposed to alcohol lead to?
fatty liver (steatosis)
What are the signs of chronic liver disease?
stigmata: spiders, fetor, encephalopathy
‘synthetic dysfunction’
prolonged prothrombin time, hypoalbuminaemia
What are the signs of portal hypertension?
caput medusa
hypersplenism
Thrombocytopenia (pancytopenia)
How is Cirrhosis graded?
Childs-Turcotte-Pugh
Model for End Stage Liver Disease (MELD)
Serum bilirubin,creatinine & INR – 3 month mortality
What are the essential characteristics of alcoholic hepatitis?
recent excess alcohol
Bilirubin > 80mol/l
exclusion of other liver disease
AST < 500 (AST: ALT ratio >1.5)
What are hte clinical signs of alcoholic hepatitis?
hepatomegaly +/- fever, leucocytosis, hepatic bruit
What is the treatment for alcoholic hepatitis?
steroids - prednisolone (can reduce short term mortality)
pentoxifylline
STOP DRINKING ALCOHOL
