Alcohol poisoning

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Complications

By Mayo Clinic staff

Alcohol is a stomach irritant and may cause vomiting. It also depresses your gag reflex. This increases the risk of choking on vomit if you've passed out from excessive drinking. There's also a risk of accidentally inhaling vomit into your lungs, which can lead to a dangerous or fatal interruption of breathing (asphyxiation). Excessive vomiting can also result in severe dehydration.

Severe alcohol poisoning can be fatal. People who survive may have irreversible brain damage.

Tests and diagnosis Risk factors
References
  1. Alcohol. The Merck Manuals: The Merck Manual for Health Care Professionals. http://www.merck.com/mmpe/sec15/ch198/ch198g.html#. Accessed Sept. 16, 2010.
  2. Facts about alcohol poisoning. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. http://www.collegedrinkingprevention.gov/otheralcoholinformation/FactsAboutAlcoholPoisoning.pdf. Accessed Sept. 16, 2010.
  3. Cowan E, et al. Ethanol intoxication in adults. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Sept. 14, 2010.
  4. Morgan DL, et al. Poisoning. Current Diagnosis & Treatment: Emergency Medicine. 6th ed. New York, N.Y.: McGraw Hill; 2008. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=3114171. Accessed Sept. 14, 2010.
  5. Williams SR. Ethanol. In: Olson KR. Poisoning & Drug Overdose. 5th ed. New York, N.Y.: McGraw Hill; 2007. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=2683871. Accessed Sept. 14, 2010.
  6. Young-Hee Y, et al. Accidental alcohol poisoning mortality. National Institute on Alcohol Dependency. http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/arh27-1/110-120.htm. Accessed Sept. 16, 2010.
  7. Vonghia L, et al. Acute alcohol intoxication. European Journal of Internal Medicine. 2008;19:561.
  8. Alcohol. American Diabetes Association. http://www.diabetes.org/food-and-fitness/food/what-can-i-eat/alcohol.html. Accessed Sept. 16, 2010.
  9. Kraut JA, et al. Toxic alcohol ingestions: Clinical features, diagnosis, and management. Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. 2008;3:208.
  10. Alcohol poisoning. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. http://www.nhtsa.gov/PEOPLE/outreach/SafeSobr/15qp/web/idalc.html. Accessed Sept. 16, 2010.
  11. Alcohol alert: Young adult drinking. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/aa68/aa68.htm. Accessed Sept. 14, 2010.
  12. Anderson CF (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Sept. 17, 2010.
DS00861 Dec. 10, 2010

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