Alcohol abuse always has a negative impact on the human body. It is therefore essential to abandon bad habits, if you want to live a long and happy life. There are people who are no longer able to cope with their craving for alcohol.
They have to observe the different pathological changes in the body, they are not ready to change something. For example, can occur toxic encephalopathy in alcoholics that appears when you long-term intoxication.
The disease is considered dangerous, because it leads to serious complications. It is therefore important to recognize first symptoms, to be able in time to see a doctor.
What is
Toxic encephalopathy – a violation of cerebral character that appears in the third stage of alcohol dependence. Precipitating factor are the alcoholic drinks which a person takes a long time. Also pathology can occur due to prolonged drinking bout, which was the patient.
Often toxic type of encephalopathy is celebrated for those people who use low-quality alcohol. Such drinks are especially harmful to health, because I have a lot of negative effects. Because of the low quality, you may encounter different pathologies, and it is here that people often drink alcohol in large quantities.
Even before being diagnosed with encephalopathy, patients often come to hospital with delirium tremens or acute alcohol poisoning. In some cases, pathological changes of the brain occur gradually and almost imperceptibly, the forecast in any case is disappointing.
Causes of
There are many factors that lead to brain disorders. Be useful to know why appears toxic encephalopathy of the brain.
Predisposing factors:
- The deficiency of necessary microelements in the organism. If people often drink alcohol, the nutrients washed out of the body. Often the alcoholic is practically nothing to eat or drink low-quality products.
- The lack of vitamin B1. This phenomenon often occurs in alcoholism. Also to the pathology can cause a lack of vitamin B6. Given the fact that heavy drinkers often ignore health problems, lack of needed elements only increases with time and leads to negative consequences.
- Problems with the metabolism, and nerve cell damage. Quite common causes that worry all people with alcohol dependence.
- Dysfunction of the hypothalamus. Often it becomes noticeable only when there are striking manifestations of the pathology.
Whatever the reason, it is important to know first symptoms of the disease. It is also important to understand exactly who is at risk. Predisposed to the disease both men and women. The disease often affects people aged from 30 to 65 years. However, it is 35-45 years the most frequently diagnosed disease. When you first signs you should consult a doctor to not run the disease.
The main symptoms
Toxic encephalopathy has a kind of vivid manifestations, which are observed in people of both sexes. At first signs of a weak man for the most part has apparent sweet tooth, or salty. Sometimes it happens that the dependent citizen completely refuses food, because he has abdominal discomfort and nausea and irregularity.
At the beginning of the disease, you may encounter a sleep disorder. The patient cannot fall asleep, quickly wakes up from the slightest noises. Throughout the day alcoholic experiencing drowsiness in the night plagued by nightmares.
You can also note other symptoms:
- Fatigue, which occurs on the background of General exhaustion.
- Swelling of the face and upper parts of the body.
- Shot down heart rate, while often there are chest pain and shortness of breath.
- Weak muscle tone, seizures, and trembling lips. In General, significantly reduced the activity of man, he begins to move less and prefer to lead a passive lifestyle.
- Eyesight deteriorates, this can cause bleeding in the retina.
- Often there have been problems with it. The patient may be unable to pronounce certain letters, or not having clear language to Express their thoughts.
- Increased anxiety for no apparent reason.
- There is often dizziness and loss of man in space.
- Can be aching in the limbs, feeling numb. Often there is excessive sweating.
In toxic encephalopathy of the brain the person suffers from variations in temperature of the body, often the skin has a very unhealthy shade. Observed peeling of the epithelium, laxity, can be bedsores. In extreme cases, there are epileptic seizures, which suggests that the disease is already running.
If pathology is developing rapidly, then comes the acute phase. It has the name of the syndrome gayet-Wernicke. In this case the patient is suffering from visual hallucination caused by delirium tremens. It is unconscious and has no connection with reality. An alcoholic might have something to shout, however, he does not understand what he said to the surrounding people.
As soon as the acute period, then the human condition is not improving. There are bright somatic disorders and neurological disorders. If nothing is done, then there will be negative consequences. Much will depend on the disease, because when hyperacute form of the disease the symptoms progress rapidly, and the pathology develops within a few days. If will not start the right treatment, then the person will fall into a coma. The most likely outcome of the disease – death within 3-5 days. For this reason, it is crucial to treat the disease if you don’t want negative consequences.
It is worth noting that also happens to be a motivated form that leads to a bright the symptoms of delirium tremens. When the patient is experiencing a negative mood may become depressed or suffer from apathy.
If we talk about critical periods, in this case, the patient will hallucinate, suffer from delusions, paranoia. The nonsense that plagues the person is unconnected fragments. Hallucinations are very primitive, they will in that case, when will be started the right treatment.
The consequences
Some people underestimate the severity of toxic encephalopathy. While this negatively affects not only the brain, but generally on the body. The prognosis will depend on many factors, particularly on how quickly treatment was started. It is also important that the patient immediately stopped taking alcohol. In many ways, the consequences depend on the quality and properties of the drink consumed.
If not proper treatment, then you can face various complications. Among them it is possible to identify disorders of coordination, visual problems, abnormalities in the digestive system. Encephalopathy has a negative impact on the cardiovascular system, may lead to tumors in the brain. Often decreases the sensitivity of the limbs, there are paralysis and paresis.
A person can suffer from epilepsy, memory disorders, and higher blood pressure. The specific consequences depend on many factors, so it is impossible to say what exactly will have to face. We can only note that largely on the person and his loved ones will depend on the outcome of the disease. If the time to start treatment, there will be more chances for a favorable outcome.
The main forms
Toxic encephalopathy is of two main types, which differ in the nature of the flow. Each type has its own characteristics that should be considered.
Among people with dependence on alcohol are common, the following types of encephalopathy:
- Chronic. In this case, degenerative CNS, in which the negative impact is due to the constant intoxication of alcohol. Negative changes occur at the cellular and chemical levels. A person can develop alcoholic paralysis, in which the citizen loses memory, believes in non-existent events and disorientated in space. However, he is constantly lethargic and has problems with gait. It is also found alcoholic pseudospiralis, but mostly is diagnosed in men. Thus the person suffers from hallucinations, lives in a state of euphoria, have memory disorders. On the background of the disease often appears schizophrenia, tremor of the limbs, and cramps.
- In the acute form of encephalopathy affects the CNS due to significant alcohol exposure. Even enough that the body one time will be heavily intoxicated with alcohol. Man is in a state of delirium tremens, disturbed consciousness, there are mental disorders. Pathology may be in the gayet-Wernicke, which mainly affects the midbrain and hypothalamus. Also Mihailovna is an acute encephalopathy, which mainly changing emotional background. Super acute encephalopathy has a fulminant course, which in most cases leads to death. Negative changes occur for 3-5 days, after which deteriorates significantly the functioning of the liver and heart, which leads to death. If a person manage to survive, then he will be diagnosed with chronic pseudoallergy syndrome.
As you can see, the disease has a striking manifestations, while they initially may be confused with other pathologies. This is complicated by the diagnosis of the disease, and without a series of tests will be difficult to make an accurate diagnosis. Person will need treatment, which should be correct and timely. Without it, the disease will progress and gradually destroy a person’s brain.
Methods of treatment
To improve the human condition, you will need time to notice negative symptoms and first aid. It is necessary to lay the patient in bed, cover tightly with a blanket. Turn person on their side to the appearance of vomit alcoholic drowned. Please be sure to call the doctor, and the self-medication is not recommended.
The person will be taken to the hospital, he will prescribe medication, which should improve the metabolic processes in the body, normalize blood circulation and the Central nervous system. Often used medication Neropolis, it is a steroid drug anabolic, which improves metabolism. Also assigned to the B group vitamins, glucose and glutamic acid.
You must use tools to improve cerebral blood circulation. Suitable drugs such as Dibazol, Papaverine, Magnesium sulfate. Patients recommended stimulants of the nervous system, which consists of caffeine. To improve brain activity must be taken nootropics, for example, Nylonase. You may need to use protivoepilepticheskie tools, well-proven Aminalon. From antihistamines are often used Suprastin or Diphenhydramine.
Be sure to conduct a comprehensive treatment, because only it allows to achieve the desired result. A lot will depend on what form of the disease in humans. Depending on the species will be selected measures that will improve the condition. For example, PI pseudoparalysis need to improve liver function, to restore the innervation, and to resolve autonomic dysfunction. Additionally it is important to get rid of the painful feelings that have troubled the patient.
With Korsakoff’s psychosis can assign vitamins such as C, B, P, K. Also used Nicotinamide and performs various physical therapy procedures. When gayet-Wernicke medical assistance should be immediate, because the pathology is developing rapidly. When therapy is used magnesium sulfate, and vitamins of group B.
After the danger to life will disappear, it is necessary to restore the function of the brain, to normalize metabolism and improve the quality of brain tissue. From the body definitely displays all the toxic substances that adversely affect the head.
At home, people often use folk remedies that are permitted after man discharged from hospital. You may need to use a decoction of wild strawberry, mint and hawthorn. But, of course, before using any tool be sure to consult with your doctor.
Often people with alcohol dependence require psychiatric help to cope with the arisen disorders. To independently overcome the disease is difficult, it is also difficult to cope with the effects of encephalopathy. If a person wants to improve their health status, then you will need to completely abandon alcoholic beverages. Otherwise will continue the destruction of the brain, and the negative effects will be inevitable.
The success of the therapy depends on the stage and type of disease. There is a large percentage of deaths, about 50% of cases of death of the patient. Especially those people who have the acute form of the disease. That is why the medicate is impossible to do, you must immediately consult a doctor.
