Many kinds of alcohol have been ingested, and most kinds are toxic because of their metabolites.
Toxic alcohols include:
(1) glycols (ethylene, diethylene, propylene)
(2) methanol
(3) isopropyl alcohol (isopropanol)
(4) bronopol
(5) benzyl alcohol
(6) glycol ethers
A careful history or a site examination may identify specific alcohol ingested.
It may be mixed with alcoholic ketoacidosis.
The ingestion may be accidental or intentional.
Clinical features include:
(1) blindness
(2) acute renal failure
(3) unexplained neurologic disease, including seizures and encephalopathy
(4) diarrhea, GI bleeding or other gastrointestinal symptoms
(5) variable pancreatitis
Laboratory features:
(1) metabolic acidosis with high anion gap
(2) high osmolal gap
(3) lactic acidosis (L-lactate, less often D-lactate)
(4) ketoacidosis
Chromatography may be necessary to identify the alcohol and/or its metabolites.
