Podcast 581:  Alcohol Complications

<p><strong>\Contributor: Don Stader, MD</strong></p> <p><strong>Educational Pearls:</strong></p> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Altered mental status/confusion are major symptoms associated with both alcohol use and withdrawal.</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Wernicke’s encephalopathy is a triad of symptoms of confusion, internuclear ophthalmoplegia, and confabulation</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The treatment for Wernicke’s is IV thiamine or vitamin B1</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Untreated Wernicke’s leads to Korsakoff's syndrome where a prolonged thiamine deficiency leads to worsening brain function</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style= "font-weight: 400;"> </span><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Subdural hematomas from torn bridging veins are common in alcoholics because of the combination of frequent falls and cerebral atrophy caused by alcohol.</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Alcohol is a major cause of heart failure and atrial fibrillation; “holiday heart” is a-fib induced by binge drinking where high levels of acetaldehyde from the metabolism of alcohol excite the heart.</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Frequent alcohol use is linked to esophageal cancer</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Alcoholic cirrhosis can lead to a multitude of complications including esophageal varices that can rupture often with fatal outcomes</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Aspiration pneumonia is more common in alcoholics because of a depressed gag reflex and alteration of oral flora </span></li> </ul> <p><strong>References</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Brousse G, Geneste-Saelens J, Cabe J, Cottencin O. Alcool et urgences [Alcohol and emergencies].</span> <em><