Effect of Alcohol on Fetus

Thousands of research papers have been published to highlight the hazardous effects of alcohol on the fetus in the womb of drinking mothers. It has been estimated that 60-70% of pregnancies of mothers having 5 to 6 drinks a day may have an abnormal outcome. Even moderate levels of drinking during pregnancy would be detrimental to the fetus. Excessive drinking during pregnancy may lead to fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). The fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) includes failure of growth before and after birth, various physical defects and neuro-developmental disorders. The FAS has an incidence of around one percent in live births from such women. The healthcare of alcohol damaged children (ADC) would need extra spending by individuals as well as by governments. Psychiatrists recommend total abstinence from alcohol during pregnancy.

The alcohol abuse and drink trade are subjects of the interest of governments worldwide. Majority of the governments are interested in the wealth than health. The average consumption of alcohol has doubled during the last decade in many developing countries. You would find increased number of outlets of liquor in your area. The alcohol seems to be an ever-expanding scourge, taking a heavy toll of health and wealth due to lack of social alcohol discipline. The drinking habits of female population need to be reliably surveyed to ascertain the damage caused to their infants.

Methyl Alcohol Poisoning: Management Tips

Successful management of methyl alcohol poisoning requires prompt recognition. The most important therapeutic action is to correct the metabolic acidosis quickly. Methyl alcohol or methanol is an industrial solvent and widely used as paint thinner, paint remover, nail-polish remover and as a denaturant in ethyl alcohol. The poisoning due to methyl alcohol occurs due to consumption of rectified spirit or methylated spirit or illicit distilled ethyl alcohol. Methanol is completely absorbed within 3-4 hours of ingestion. After absorption the methanol is metabolized in the liver by the action of alcohol dehydrogenase to form formaldehyde and formic acid. Some of the ingested methanol is eliminated unchanged by the kidneys and lungs.

Ingestion of more than 30 ml of methanol/methyl alcohol is lethal, but the extent of toxicity may be influenced by concomitant ingestion of ethyl alcohol and other unknown host factors. A blood level of methanol of 20mg/dl is toxic. Severity of toxicity correlates with the level of methanol in blood. The variability in the development of methanol toxicity may be due to various liver diseases and availability and synthesis of alcohol dehydrogenase.

Symptoms of methanol poisoning after illicit alcohol consumption:

A person suspected of having consumed pure methanol or rectified spirit, industrial solvent/thinner, nail-polish remover or illicit distilled alcohol may complain of abdominal discomfort and pain, breathlessness, cardiac arrhythmia and blurred vision. If medical help is delayed the patient may go blind with delayed onset of coma.

Tips to manage methanol poisoning:

If the patient is not unconscious, try to know the type of alcoholic drink he/she has consumed. The patient should be shifted to emergency wing of a nearby hospital immediately. If the patient has consumed pure methanol, he/she should be encouraged to take around 4 oz of brandy or whisky to retard the metabolism as the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase has more affinity for ethyl alcohol than the methyl alcohol. An assay of methanol blood levels can help to confirm the diagnosis, however, a patient having consumed a doubtful solvent and having metabolic acidosis and burred vision, should be considered a case of methanol poisoning and treated accordingly. Liver function tests along with blood pH and urine analysis should be done. The patient should be put on hemodialysis or promptly referred to a hospital where facilities for hemodialysis are available. Any arrhythmia, heart failure, convulsions or shock need urgent medical attention. If more than 4 hours have elapsed since ingestion and patient do not have arrhythmia and blurred vision, gastric lavage should be performed with sodium bicarbonate solution until the return fluid is clear of methanol. Patient should be kept under observation till considerable metabolic recovery.

Healthy Heart Mantras

Avoid Alcohol: Excessive consumption of causes high blood pressure and may cause cardiovascular disease. There is no distinction between good or bad alcohol or self made or foreign made alcohol. However, it is documented that one or two pegs (25 to 50ml) of alcohol day help protecting your heart from coronary heart disease.

Do Exercise: Exercise is must for fitness of heart since it is a muscular organ. Atleast 3o minutes of physical activity once daily is must. The activity should be intense enough to make you breathe heavily than normal and feel warmer. You can choose activity of your choice - like cycling, swimming, brisk walking, gardening or washing and cleaning your own car.

Diet Control: A customized diet may help you keep in perfect healthy condition. One gram of fat has more calories than one gram of sugar. Avoid fat and bad sugars. Eat fruits (fruits have good sugars) and vegetables along with proteins and minimum quantity of fat (ghee and oil).

Give up Smoking: If you smoke, then please give up smoking to protect your heart. Smokers are doubly prone to heart attack as compared to those who never smoke. Smoking damages the lining of arteries, leading to the atheroma and coronary heart disease.