Yang C C, Yang L Y, Deng J F
Department of Medicine, Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC.
J Formos Med Assoc. 1995 May;94(5):267-70.
Ethanol is present in a large number of pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, detergents and beverages. Without adequate safety measures, the accidental ingestion of such products by children is possible. Ethanol ingestion by children is known to cause various metabolic and neurologic disorders, including hypoglycemia, metabolic acidosis, seizures or coma. In Taiwan, little information has been published regarding the effects of ethanol ingestion by children. This is a report of a 5-year-old boy who became hypoglycemic after ingestion of rice wine. Admitted in a coma, the boy regained consciousness within 30 min after slow administration of 5% dextrose. His initial plasma glucose level was extremely low and hypokalemia was also found. Blood ethanol was 159 mg/dL, 3 h after the alcohol ingestion. He was discharged in good health the following day. Ethanol-induced hypoglycemia may be easily overlooked as symptoms of adrenaline excess are frequently absent. Prompt recognition and treatment with intravenous glucose are essential and may be life-saving. Pediatricians need to be aware of the devastating impact of ethanol. Preventive measures, such as child-proof packaging and parent education, are required if ethanol intoxication in children is to be avoided.
乙醇存在于大量药品、化妆品、洗涤剂和饮料中。如果没有足够的安全措施，儿童有可能意外摄入此类产品。已知儿童摄入乙醇会导致各种代谢和神经紊乱，包括低血糖、代谢性酸中毒、癫痫发作或昏迷。在台湾，关于儿童摄入乙醇影响的信息很少被发表。这是一篇关于一名5岁男孩摄入米酒后出现低血糖的报告。该男孩昏迷入院，在缓慢输注5%葡萄糖后30分钟内恢复意识。他最初的血浆葡萄糖水平极低，还发现有低钾血症。饮酒3小时后，血液乙醇含量为159mg/dL。他第二天健康出院。乙醇诱发的低血糖可能很容易被忽视，因为肾上腺素过量的症状通常不存在。及时识别并用静脉葡萄糖治疗至关重要，可能会挽救生命。儿科医生需要意识到乙醇的破坏性影响。如果要避免儿童乙醇中毒，需要采取预防措施，如儿童安全包装和家长教育。
