The first signs of methanol poisoning

Methanol poisoning is quite common in modern medical practice. This is a very dangerous substance that acts quickly enough and leads to serious consequences, disability and even death. The danger is that this substance is very similar to ethyl alcohol. Most cases of poisoning are due to the fact that a person drinks this drug, confusing it with ethyl alcohol. Moreover, many counterfeit alcoholic beverages contain methanol instead of ethanol.

In addition to alcoholic beverages, methanol is used in production, while conducting research. Therefore, there are often cases of industrial, professional poisoning. In most cases, professional poisoning happens when breathing in fumes and is chronic. Poisoning is caused by the production of toxic substances and oxygen deficiency. A distinctive feature of methanol is that it is rapidly absorbed and slowly eliminated from the body.

Statistics

Approximately 5% of methanol poisoning results in death. In 35% of cases, there is a sharp violation or complete loss of vision. Renal and hepatic disorders are observed in 29% of cases. Oxygen starvation of tissues and cells is observed in 78% of cases. The cause of poisoning in 85% is the intake of methanol inside instead of ethanol, which happens as a result of the use of low-quality beverages. Chronic poisoning occurs in 19% of cases, most often among chronic alcoholics. Professional ethanol poisoning when working with it happens in 9% of cases.

Causes of methanol poisoning

The main cause of poisoning is the use of methanol inside, because it is very similar to ethyl alcohol, and it is confused with alcohol. Many people drink beverages containing methanol without even knowing it, because often methanol is neither taste nor smell different from ethanol. The cause of poisoning is the purchase of cheap and fake alcoholic beverages, the use in unknown places of alcohol of unknown origin. Especially the number of poisonings on holidays is increasing.

There are also cases of chronic poisoning. Basically, this poisoning happens when working with methanol in factories, factories, in production. Often poisoning happens in the laboratory, especially if the work is conducted in closed rooms, with idle exhaust. Often poisoning occurs during research in test shops, research centers and institutes, in pharmaceutical companies.

Also poisoning often happens when using various solvents during construction and repair work, and even when washing the windows inside the car with special solvents. In this case, methanol evaporates well and is poisoned by vapors that penetrate the skin and respiratory tract intensively. Often poisoning happens against a background of alcohol abuse, or in a state of drug intoxication. Some are used to commit suicide.

[1], [2], [3], [4], [5]

Risk factors

The risk of poisoning is exposed to workers engaged in construction, repair, people working in factories, factories, laboratories.

Also, people who abuse alcohol are at risk: they drink in large quantities for a long period of time. Also, people who use cheap and substandard kinds of alcohol, mixtures, surrogates, fakes are at risk.

Pathogenesis

At the heart of pathogenesis lies the ability of the poison to be quickly absorbed through the respiratory tract, skin, mucous membranes of the digestive tract. It affects primarily the nervous system and blood vessels. The oxygen saturation of blood sharply decreases, the amount of carbon dioxide increases. As a result, hypoxia, hypercapnia develops. Quite quickly, oxygen starvation progresses, as a result of which acidosis occurs, the acidity of the blood changes, which leads to collapse.

The danger lies in the fact that methanol in the blood is subjected to chemical reactions during which formic acid and formaldehyde are formed, which are dangerous substances provoking the strongest poisoning and changes in basic biochemical parameters. In addition, vision is severely impaired, the optic nerve is damaged and the retina is damaged. The mechanism of these damages consists in violation of oxidative phosphorylation processes, glycolysis processes are also violated, as a result of which there is a sharp shortage of ATP, which is one of the basic substances necessary for the normal functioning of the organism. Failure to respond promptly can lead to a complete loss of vision.

There is also damage to the mucous membranes. In cells, normal cell metabolism is disturbed, irritation of the mucous membranes occurs. Isolated methanol light and kidneys. At the same time, approximately 10% of the substance is excreted unchanged. Also, the mechanism of action is that it blocks the action of alcohol dehydrogenase, which should cleave and neutralize the action of toxic substances. As a result, not only methanol and food poisoning occurs, but also auto-toxication.

Symptoms of methanol poisoning

The degree of severity of symptoms of poisoning directly depends on the amount of alcohol that a person used inside. At the same time, a sharp headache develops, dizziness, nausea, vomiting. When swallowing, there is often a pain, burning, which is intensified as the food lump passes through the esophagus. Nausea gradually intensifies, there is a profuse vomiting, sometimes with impurities of blood. A distinctive feature of methanol poisoning is the appearance of muscle pain, as well as feelings of pressure and pain in the joints. In severe poisoning, which is accompanied by a lesion of the digestive tract, bleeding develops . The source of bleeding is the esophagus, stomach, intestines. This is most often observed against the background of ulcers, small erosions.

The patient is dilated pupils, there may be bouts of euphoria, a feeling of intoxication, an inability to control their movements. Also, confusion develops, speech and movement coordination are disrupted. Gradually, a person loses sensitivity, impaired perception and reduced visual acuity. The person loses coordination, the clarity of the image, the clarity of perception is violated. Many develop photophobia and lacrimation.

Methanol causes severe flushing, edema, so inflammation and flow of the mucous membrane of the throat, trachea, nasal cavity often occur, lymph nodes become inflamed. There is a risk of stopping breathing due to edema, especially in people with a respiratory system disorder and a tendency to allergic reactions.

Also a symptom of late and severe poisoning is the disruption of the normal functioning of the heart, circulatory system. The blood pressure may rise or fall sharply, the pulse becomes fast or slow. In this state, a person can lose consciousness or fall into a coma. At the same time, the skin becomes blue, the mucous membranes swell, cramps appear .

How many first signs of methanol poisoning appear?

Poisoning can manifest itself a few hours after getting methanol into the body, or a few days after consumption. It all depends on the dosage and the way the substance gets inside.

As the first signs consider nausea, vomiting, dyspeptic disorders. There is a feeling of intoxication, euphoria. The person begins to feel dizzy, there is photophobia. In most cases, a person does not feel poisoned, but associates these symptoms with alcohol abuse, believe that they simply "drank too much." To notice early symptoms is easier from the side: the person has sharply dilated pupils. The view does not react to light, breathing becomes frequent, superficial. There is a headache, pain in the whole body gradually joins, especially in muscles, joints.

An early sign of chronic poisoning is considered a gradual decrease in vision, a violation of color vision, redness of the eyes and the appearance of a pronounced vascular pattern on the eye. Also, the reaction to light is reduced. The blood reduces the number of platelets, and increases the level of cholesterol. On subjective grounds, a person feels a decrease in working capacity and increased fatigue, as well as an acute headache in the morning.

Methanol poisoning

Occurs as a result of prolonged exposure to methanol on the body, or as a result of a single inhalation of a large number of vapors. Most often observed in employees who work with methanol. Signs are a sharp violation of vision, weakness, headache, pain in the eyes, dryness and burning sensation of the mucous membranes. There is a narrowing of the pupils and redness of the eyes. The consciousness is disturbed: poisoning is often accompanied by euphoria and psychomotor agitation, against which disorientation develops, speech is disrupted, and movements are coordinated.

Chronic intoxication is often accompanied by weakness, decreased endurance and resistance of the body, a sharp deterioration in well-being. The vision is sharply reduced, the perception of color is violated.

Consequences and complications

Poisoning is dangerous first of all by causing oxygen starvation (hypoxia). Against this background, the carbon dioxide content sharply increases and the oxygen content decreases. This leads to the fact that normal metabolic processes are violated, tissues and organs suffer from a lack of oxygen. The danger is also that methanol contributes to the formation of toxic products, such as formaldehyde and formic acid, which have an additional poisoning effect on the body. 

No less dangerous are severe lesions of the cardiovascular and respiratory system, renal and hepatic insufficiency. Also, the functions and composition of blood are disturbed, in particular, the number of platelets decreases, which entails a disruption of blood coagulation. The risk of bleeding increases. Especially great is the risk in a person suffering from an ulcer. Methanol has an irritant effect on the mucous membranes, violating their integrity and permeability.

The dangerous consequences of poisoning are damage to the nervous system. Chronic poisoning is dangerous because anemia, hypoxia, red blood cells can develop.

Violated metabolic processes, water-salt, acid-base balance. As a result, alkaline acidosis develops , coma may develop, brain damage. Poisoning can end with a fatal outcome.

[6], [7], [8]

Can there be a lethal poisoning with methanol?

Methanol poisoning is often fatal, especially if you do not provide first aid in a timely manner. Death often comes as a result of the development of oxygen starvation, damage to the kidneys and liver, disruption of normal blood circulation and vascular conditions.

[9], [10], [11], [12]

Diagnosis of poisoning can be based on a characteristic clinical picture. Usually poisoning is diagnosed by an emergency doctor who provides first aid. A person's heart rate increases, there is a sharp dizziness, a loss of consciousness. Vomiting, cramps may join. Pupils are dilated, they do not respond to light. To clarify the diagnosis appoint laboratory tests and instrumental studies. Particular attention is paid to the evaluation of the status and quantity of red blood cells, since they are the ones who suffer the first.

Analyzes

The main analyzes that show the general picture of changes taking place in the body are clinical analyzes: urine, blood, feces, analysis for methanol. Biochemical analysis can provide more detailed information.

In the clinical analysis of blood, anemia and thrombocytopenia are detected. There is also a change in the number of leukocytes in a wide range: from several hundreds to hundreds of thousands in one μl. At the same time, cellular forms predominate with normal and decreased leukopenic and subleukemic numbers of leukocytes.

The main diagnostic criterion is the presence in the peripheral blood of the youngest (blast) hematopoietic cells, which are identified in a light microscope when staining by the Romanovsky-Giemsa method using a specific gently-mesh core structure that almost always contains one or more nucleoli. Blast cells predominate in the leukocyte formula. Mature granulocytes are detected in the form of single rod-shaped and segmented neutrophil granulocytes.

Mature granulocytes are not detected in the intermediate form, which reflects a failure in the hematopoiesis. There is a sharp decrease in the number of red blood cells. The basophilic granularity of erythrocytes appears in the study of their morphology. In this case, the red blood cells take the form of blue grains. As for leukocytes, there is a relative leukocytosis, in which the number of leukocytes in the blood drops sharply. In the blood against the background of intoxication, an increase in the number of neutrophils, a decrease in the number of eosinophils, monocytes, an increase in ESR - the rate of erythrocyte sedimentation, is found. The platelet count also drops sharply, which reduces the blood's ability to clot. As a result, a tendency to bleeding develops.     

The analysis of urine makes it possible to assess the stage and severity of the damage to the basic functional systems. Intoxication is always noticeable by the appearance in urine of additional salts, formations ( oxalates, salicylates, bilirubin ). You can also assess the state of the kidneys, the degree of their damage (important, since methanol has a nephrotoxic effect). A large amount of protein, leukocytes in the urine, indicate the development of an acute inflammatory process. A bad sign is the appearance of blood in the urine, which indicates severe degenerative changes in the kidneys and liver, as well as a significant decrease in platelets in the blood, which led to bleeding.

Investigating the feces, you can get a clinical picture of the pathological processes occurring in the gastrointestinal tract, the liver, which also suffer from exposure to methanol. The main diagnostic criterion is the detection of latent blood in the stool. Sometimes the blood is easily detected during defecation, without additional research. This sign can indicate the development of necrotic, degenerative processes in the intestine, stomach.

In order to accurately determine the active substance that has a toxic effect on the body and which has become the cause of intoxication, a toxicological study is conducted. If necessary, additional biochemical methods of investigation are prescribed.

[13], [14], [15], [16]

Instrumental diagnostics

Instrumental diagnostics is rarely used, mainly in the recovery phase, after the first aid is provided, the necessary basic treatment is performed. It is necessary when there are signs of damage to the internal organs, with various complications. So, often enough poisoning is accompanied by a defeat of the digestive tract, since it is he who first contacts the poisonous substance.

You may need a gastroscopy if you suspect a burn of the esophagus, inflammatory diseases in the esophagus and stomach. For this, the patient swallows a special instrument - a gastroscopy, which allows using the camera located at the end to examine the walls and mucous membranes of the upper sections of the digestive tract. This makes it possible to identify inflammatory processes, tumors, especially in the early stages of their formation. The advantage of this procedure is that from diagnostic it can at any time develop into a curative one. For example, if bleeding sites are found, or if the mucous membrane is severely damaged, small areas are removed, and vessels are cauterized. During the procedure, biological material can be taken for further histological examination if there is a suspicion of an oncological process, or a mucosal degeneration.

Also often resort to carrying out of US by means of which it is possible to trace the basic processes occurring in an organism in dynamics. This is a wonderful addition to gastroscopy, which allows you to explore the digestive tract from a different angle. It allows to get a general picture, to study the topography of organs, their anatomical and morphological features. Also with the help of ultrasound you can visualize many processes. Very informative these methods are in complex, since they allow to comprehensively assess the pathology, and even to find out its causes.

The most basic method is magnetic resonance imaging, but it is used as a last resort, mainly if it is impossible to establish an accurate diagnosis using the two previous methods. Allows you to explore both soft tissue and the bone system. In addition, processes can be investigated in dynamics. This is one of the methods of early diagnosis, which allows you to visualize pathological processes at an early stage, to take the necessary measures in time.

It is used to accurately identify the cause of the development of the pathological process in the body and to determine the substance that has a toxic effect on the body. The main method is a toxicological study, as well as a number of other biochemical techniques.

[17], [18], [19], [20]

Antidote for methanol poisoning

If methanol poisoning occurs, an antidote must be introduced. As an antidote, ethyl alcohol stands out. If you can not take other measures, they just drink it. If there is a possibility, it is better to inject intravenously a mixture of 5% ethyl alcohol with 5% glucose. Enter 200 ml every 4 hours for 72 days. It is necessary to control the amount of alcohol in the blood.

[21], [22], [23], [24], [25],

Prevention

For prevention, first of all it is necessary to plant and observe the culture of alcohol consumption, since the main cause of poisoning is the use of poor quality alcohol, in which methanol is used instead of ethanol. These are various counterfeit means, acquired in questionable places, without a license. You can not mix different kinds of alcohol, drink too cheap drinks. It is also necessary to store neat methanol at home, if such a need arises. The bottle is signed and placed away from food, hide from children. When working with methanol in industrial and laboratory conditions, it is necessary to strictly observe safety precautions.

Forecast

If you provide first aid in a timely manner, neutralize the action of the poison, remove it from the body,  methanol poisoning  can have a favorable outcome. After the provision of emergency care, further supportive and restorative treatment is required. If you do not provide first aid and do not call an ambulance, the consequences can be extremely unfavorable, up to a lethal outcome.

[26], [27], [28], [29], [30]