Судебная Медицина (Sep 2022)

Alcohol and children: clinical and forensic study

  • Semyon S. Plis,
  • Liliya A. Kovalenko,
  • Olesya V. Veselkina,
  • Dmitry M. Dolginov,
  • Yury N. Ostapenko,
  • Vasily V. Vlassov,
  • Vladimir A. Klevno

DOI
https://doi.org/10.17816/fm709
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 8, no. 2
pp. 13 – 22

Abstract

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BACKGROUND: This study aimed to evaluate the differences in the clinical pictures in the group of alcohol intoxication (without the loss of conscious) and alcohol poisoning (with the loss of conscious). AIMS: This study aimed to investigate the clinical differences in the groups of alcohol intoxication (without loss of consciousness) and alcohol poisoning (with loss of consciousness) and determine the level of blood ethanol concentrations in children and adolescents from alcohol intake that causes a loss of consciousness, which means ethanol poisoning occurrence, and finally, offer practical recommendations for forensic doctors in cases of alcohol poisoning in children. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The total amount of data was a combination of two studied populations: population No. 1 from the archive of the Bureau and population No. 2 from the Childrens Clinical Hospital No. 13 named after N.F. Filatov. The study is a retrospective population-based and prospective (observational) cross-sectional study. Data were grouped as (1) persons whose alcohol intake did not cause significant health disorders (alcohol intoxication) and (2) persons whose alcohol intake caused the onset of coma, respiratory arrest, or death (alcohol poisoning). Urine screening for psychoactive and narcotic substances was conducted using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. RESULTS: The data set included 67 minors aged 1117 years. Blood and urine ethanol levels of males and blood of females were significantly higher than in patients with alcohol intoxication. The objective status of patients was the same. No differences were found in alcohol pharmacokinetics (resorption and elimination), as well as the instrumental parameter readings. The present study revealed that alcohol intoxication and poisoning were not associated with dangerous changes in such parameters as systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, heart rate, and respiratory rate. CONCLUSION: The results showed that ethanol poisoning in children aged 1117 years old developed at an ethanol concentration of 2.61 g/L in the blood and 3.01 g/L in the urine. Additionally, no significant differences were found in the instrumental parameters.

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