Intoxication Of The Body - Causes And Symptoms Of Intoxication, Diagnosis, Treatment

2024 Author: Josephine Shorter | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 21:43

Intoxication of the body

Causes and symptoms of intoxication

Toxic substances cause serious disturbances in the vital activity of the body, which provokes a phenomenon called intoxication. Intoxication is of two types: exogenous and endogenous. With the intoxication of the first type, toxins penetrate into the body from the external environment, and with the second option, they are formed directly in the body itself.

Similar in state and meaning is the state of toxicosis, which is caused by prolonged poisoning or toxemia of another origin.

Causes of intoxication

Intoxication caused by environmental factors can be provoked by a variety of substances. These are some chemical elements (halogens, heavy metals, beryllium, arsenic, selenium) and many classes of chemical compounds. Poisonous plants, poisonous animals, toxins of microorganisms and other factors also cause severe intoxication.

Sometimes the important causes of intoxication are not so much the substance that has entered the body as the products of its processing. In this case, they have a dangerous toxic effect. Toxic substances enter the body through the upper respiratory tract, skin, digestive tract, mucous membranes or by parenteral administration.

The formation of toxins in the body (endogenous intoxication) can be caused by various poisonous products that appear when tissue is damaged. Such injuries cause serious injury, radiation damage, burns and inflammation processes that affect large areas of various etiologies. Also, some infectious diseases, as well as malignant neoplasms and other equally dangerous diseases, lead to significant tissue damage.

Endogenous intoxication manifests itself when the body accumulates or produces too many physiologically active substances, which include hormones produced by the thyroid gland in thyrotoxicosis, or adrenaline in chromaffinoma. The malfunctioning of all kinds of excretory processes can lead to a dangerous damage to the body by toxins. A striking example of such intoxication can be a dangerous uremic intoxication in renal failure.

Certain metabolic disorders can provoke the appearance of toxic substances in the body. This provokes the inevitable formation of toxic metabolites or unsatisfactory disposal of toxic substances that are constantly produced in the body. These substances include free bilirubin, ammonia, phenol, which are produced in liver disease, or ketone bodies in diabetes.

Free radical oxidation products of lipids also have toxic properties. They are produced in many pathological processes.

Intoxication symptoms

The symptoms of intoxication are very extensive and vary in expression. Their manifestations are due to the nature of the toxic substance, physical and chemical properties, affinity to some organs, physiological systems, subcellular structures, body tissues, produced enzymes and existing receptors. For example, psychotropic, cardiotropic, hepatotropic, lipotropic, mutagenic, blood, carcinogenic, ototoxic and various other substances containing toxins are isolated.

A significant role in the intake of toxins from the external environment is played by the concentration of a toxic substance and how exactly it enters the body and spreads in it. It is also important where they accumulate and how they regularly enter the body - one-time, repeatedly, or there is a continuous effect. When intoxication has a repeated or continuous form, it often gives the impression of a cumulative effect or addiction. This is manifested by poisoning with mercury, digitalis, lead, morphine, arsenic, as well as ordinary alcohol.

The consequences of intoxication of the body are determined by the personal reactivity of the body. This implies sufficient functionality of the mechanisms of resistance to intoxication, in other words, the correct functioning of the immune system, external and internal barriers, excretory system, nonspecific defense of the body, systems of endogenous chemical detoxification.

And yet, depending on the degree of intoxication, different symptoms appear. Acute intoxication is characterized by a rather high body temperature, strong painful sensations in the muscles, joints and in the head. Often, severe intoxication is accompanied by indomitable diarrhea and vomiting. When exposed to strong toxic substances, frequent loss of consciousness is possible, or a dangerous coma with the threat of loss of life.

Subacute intoxication is accompanied by an increased (subfebrile) body temperature up to approximately 38 ° C, palpable headache, joint and muscle pain, as well as a disorder of the liver, stomach, intestines and other equally important organs. With this type of intoxication, a feeling of fatigue and drowsiness appears.

With chronic intoxication, which occurs as a result of acute intoxication not cured to the end and with insufficient self-cleansing of the body, there may be such manifestations: depression, irritability, nervousness, fatigue, insomnia or drowsiness, headaches become more frequent, body weight changes, and serious problems appear with the intestines in the form of flatulence, diarrhea or constipation.

With intoxication, the skin of a person also suffers, an unpleasant odor appears, skin diseases are provoked - acne, furunculosis, dermatitis. It is often accompanied by a noticeable decrease in immunity, which affects an increase in the frequency of viral diseases and allergic reactions. Sometimes there is a perversion of the immune system (autoimmune diseases). Intoxication also affects the appearance of a person. His hair grows dull and thin, the skin loses its firmness, elasticity and healthy color.

There are a lot of symptoms of intoxication and this is individual for each person. As a rule, the weakest parts of the body always suffer from intoxication.

Diagnosis of intoxication

It is possible to determine the level of intoxication in the body with the help of special medical examinations, the result of which must be interpreted and summarized by the diagnosis.

The types of intoxication diagnostics include clinical, in which indicators related to a certain poison or a group of compounds that are similar in mechanism of action are determined, as well as laboratory, as a result of which the poison or its metabolites in biosubstrates are compared. It should be noted that in laboratory diagnostics, the necessary biochemical analyzes are carried out, the results of which reveal changes in the functions of organs and systems characteristic of the poison.

Another type of diagnostics is pathomorphological, aimed at the precise definition of special intravital or postmortem morphological symptoms of intoxication.

Intoxication treatment

Compliance with a healthy and correct lifestyle helps to eliminate toxins from the body in a natural way. But with the modern rhythm of life, this is not possible in all cases, therefore, it is often necessary to resort to modern programs for cleansing the body.

The main treatment for intoxication of the body is the mandatory elimination of the cause that caused the development of the disease, and the extraordinary destruction of toxic substances in conjunction with the accelerated process of removing them from the body. An illiterate approach to relieving symptoms of intoxication such as diarrhea, vomiting, etc. with the help of medicines, it can lead to an aggravation of the condition and slow down the natural removal of toxins from the body. Intoxication from an acute form develops into a chronic form.

To eliminate toxic substances, special antidote therapy and serums are often used to suppress the action of toxins. For faster excretion from the body, it is recommended to drink in large quantities, as well as all kinds of laxatives and diuretics, lavage of cavities, oxygen therapy, adsorbents, transfusion of blood substitutes and additional substitution blood transfusion.

In case of acute intoxication, doctors, if necessary, use gastric and intestinal lavage. To replace lost fluid and detoxify the body, modern pharmacological drugs are used, which are administered intravenously. To quickly remove intoxication of any form, it is good to use special sorbents inside that bind and remove toxins (activated carbon, enterosgel).

With intoxication, the production of enzymes is impaired and therefore it is advisable to prescribe drugs such as pancreatin, trienzyme or festal. If the stomach and intestines fail, their microflora is disturbed and special bacterial preparations are used to restore it. Lactobacterin, bifidumbacterin and simple natural yogurt with bifidobacteria have proven themselves well. To facilitate and improve the functioning of the liver and kidneys, cleansing and diuretic drugs are prescribed, respectively.

It is recommended to take multivitamins and antioxidants to neutralize free radicals and cleanse the body of their negative effects. The listed methods of treatment are prescribed on an individual basis according to the patient's condition. It can be several events or a whole complex. The doctor also determines the appropriate dosage of medications.

Currently, there are many drugs for the prevention of intoxication, based on herbs, natural salts or clay.

Article author: Mochalov Pavel Alexandrovich | d. m. n. therapist

Education: Moscow Medical Institute. IM Sechenov, specialty - "General Medicine" in 1991, in 1993 "Occupational Diseases", in 1996 "Therapy".