Biochemical background of ethanol-induced cold susceptibility

The process of cooling is always associated with the depletion of energetic reserves and burning the ketone bodies covers the tissues' needs. Ethanol shows antiketonaemic effects changing the cellular redox potential, inhibiting beta-oxidation of fatty acids, stimulating the release of insulin and inhibiting the release of its antagonist. The aim of the study was to determine whether the cooling process of the organism in the presence of ethanol intoxication may be related to inhibition of the physiological mechanism of ketogenesis induced by hypothermia. The study involved the 67 autopsy cases from 1996 to 2002, in which the circumstances of death indicated the effects of overcooling. This was confirmed on the basis of the data from the Prosecutor's Offices. Then, the chromatograms of autopsy blood alcohol determinations were analyzed and the acetone levels recorded. The analysis supported the hypothesis that the severity of ketosis is inversely proportional to the blood ethanol concentration. Furthermore, it demonstrated that signs of prolonged cold exposure were less frequently observed in unsober persons (frostbites, gastric hemorrhages). Increased sensitivity of intoxicated individuals to cold may be related not only to the dilation of the peripheral vessels, inhibition of shivering thermogenesis caused by muscle relaxation, central nervous system depression and behavioral factors but also to the antiketonaemic effects of ethanol.