Medical and Dental implications of Alcohol abuse Flashcards
How is alcohol metabolised?
- Alcohol is distributed throughout body water
- Conc in liver is greater because blood comes directly to it from stomach and small intestine via portal vein
- Very little alcohol enters body fat
- 90% metabolised in liver
- 2-5% excreted in sweat, urine or breath
How is Alcohol Absorbed?
- It is water soluble
- Slowly absorbed from stomach
- More rapidly absorbed in small intestine
- Rate of absorption quicker on empty stomach at conc of 20-30% (most quickly absorbed)
- Spirits 40% delay gastric emptying and absorbed slower
- Aerated alcohol e.g. champagne gets into system quicker
- Food retards absorption
What is alcohol metabolised into?
Alcohol to acetaldehyde
Acetaldehyde to Acetate
Acetate to CO2 and water
What is blood alcohol concentration?
- Measurement of alcohol intoxication used for legal or medical purpose
- mass of alcohol per volume or mass of blood
What factors affect Blood alcohol concentration?
- Age
- Sex
- Body build
- Previous exposure to alcohol
- Type of drink
- Whether food is taken
- Drugs
What can a drug like Cimetidine do to blood alcohol concentration?
- Taken for acid reflux
- Delay gastric emptying and reduce absorption
How can antihistamines affect blood alcohol concentration?
- Increase gastric emptying and increase absorption of alcohol
Why do women absorb alcohol faster than men?
- Women have smaller blood volume
- Have lower levels of alcohol dehydrogenase in stomach
- More alcohol absorbed before its been metabolised
- Crosses placenta easily
How does time affect blood alcohol concentration?
- Peaks 1 hour after drinking on empty stomach
- Declines over next 4 hours
- Removed at rate of 15mg/100ml/hr
- Detectable levels still present for several hours
- After 3 pints of beer, blood alcohol will be detectable in morning
How does tolerance in heavy drinkers affect alcohol absorption?
- Normal metabolism increases
- Microsomal ethanol oxidising system occurs
- In heavy drinkers with liver damage, enzyme production decrease
What is microsomal ethanol oxidising system?
- Alternate pathway of ethanol metabolism
- Occurs in smooth endoplasmic reticulum in oxidation of ethanol to acetaldehyde
- Increase after chronic alcohol consumption
How does intoxication affect a person?
- Mild sedative
- Mild anaesthetic
- Stimulates dopamine and serotonin
- Sense of wellbeing relaxation and disinhibition
- 100mg/100ml become elated and aggressive
- 200mg/100ml slurred speech and unsteadiness
What is the current legal driving limit in UK?
- 80mg/100ml
- Risk of road accident doubles at 50mg/100ml as judgment is impaired
How many mg of alcohol in blood per 100ml cause fatality?
- > 400mg/100ml commonly fatal
- Due to atrial fibrillation, respiratory failure and inhalation of vomit
How are genetics related to Alcohol problems?
- Genetic predisposition to development of alcohol problems
- 4x increased risk of alcoholism in primary relatives
- More common in monozygotic twin siblings
- Adopted away children of alcoholics 4x increased risk
- 40% environment 60% genetics
What are the weekly safe alcohol limits you can do?
- Don’t drink more than 14units a week on regular basis (men and women)
- If do drink 14units regularly a week then spread out evenly over 3 or more days
What are the risks of regular drinking?
- Many different health problems
- Cancers of mouth, throat and breast
- Conception of child issues
What medical problems to do with GI tract can occur due to chronic heavy drinking?
- Acute gastritis
- Liver problems
- GI bleeding
- Oral, oesophageal, stomach, bowel cancer
- Pancreatic disease
- Obesity and malnutrition
- Vitamin deficiency-folic acid, Vits B1, B2, B6, E, B1 and D
What medical problems relating to Heart can occur due to Chronic heavy drinking?
- Cardiomyopathy
- Cardiac arrhythmias
- Hypertension
-Increased triglycerides and LDL cholesterol
What other medical problems can occur due to Chronic heavy drinking?
- Traumatic injuries
- Chest
- Gynaecological problems
- Obstetric problems
- Blood (macrocytosis, thrombocytopenia, Leucopenia)
- Acute or chronic myopathy (skeletal muscle disorder)
- Osteoporosis
- Osteomalacia
- Bleeding
- Poor wound healing
- Affects drugs
- Patients with hep C
- Immune system
- Mental health
- Renal
- Nervous system (epilepsy)
What is Macrocytosis?
- Larger than normal RBC
What is Thrombocytopenia?
- Deficiency of platelets in blood
- Slow clotting after injury