title: [The effects of ethanol on the evolution of the acute benzodiazepine poisoning].
abstract: The depressing effects on the nervous central system (NCS) induced by benzodiazepines and ethanol are similar. The complications are rare in the benzodiazepine poisoning, but are a lot more frequent in association with other depressing drugs for the NCS (especially alcohol).
  
  
  METHODS
  We analyzed retrospectively patients with benzodiazepine poisoning admitted in the Internal Medicine Clinic - Toxicology during 2003 - 2009.The study attempted a complex evaluation of the consequences of acute and chronic alcoholism on the evolution of acute benzodiazepinepoisoning and the description of the clinic evolution and paraclinical particularities of the patients under investigation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  343 patients with benzodiazepine poisoning were admitted, 150 were tested through measurement of alcohol level, leading to values between 1 - 415 mg/dl. Chronic alcoholism in personal pathological antecedents of the patients determined a relative risk of intoxication 1.46 times higher. The hospitalization period varied from 1 to 8 days for patients with chronic alcoholism and from 1 to 14 days for patients with acute alcoholism, a statistically important difference.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  During the period under investigation, from the total of patients admitted for acute benzodiazepine poisoning, 2 deaths were registered. Of the two deaths, one patient showed ethanol coingestion.
authors.affiliation: Spitalul Clinic de Urgenţe "Sf. Ioan" Iaşi, Clinica de Medicină Internă-Toxicologie.
authors.forename: Gabriela
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Puha
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hurjui
authors.forename: Cătălina Elena
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Lupuşoru
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sorodoc
mesh_terms: D000437:Alcoholism / Q000150:complications* / Q000401:mortality; D000465:Algorithms; D001569:Benzodiazepines / Q000506:poisoning*; D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants / Q000506:poisoning*; D000431:Ethanol / Q000506:poisoning*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007297:Inpatients / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012383:Romania / Q000453:epidemiology; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
chemical_list: D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants; D001569:Benzodiazepines; D000431:Ethanol