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Related Experiment Videos

Decerebrate posturing in alcoholic coma

A J Ireland1, P T Grant

  • 1Accident and Emergency Department, Western Infirmary, Glasgow, UK.

Journal of Accident & Emergency Medicine
|September 1, 1994
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

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Severe alcohol intoxication can cause coma with decerebrate posturing. Preserved pupillary reflexes in coma suggest metabolic causes like alcohol, but diagnosis requires high blood alcohol levels and exclusion of other conditions.

Area of Science:

  • Neurology
  • Toxicology

Background:

  • Decerebrate posturing typically indicates severe midbrain dysfunction.
  • However, depressant drugs, including alcohol, can also induce this posture.
  • Alcohol intoxication is a common cause of altered mental status and coma.

Observation:

  • This report details two cases of alcoholic coma exhibiting extensor responses to noxious stimuli.
  • Decerebrate posturing was noted in both patients.

Findings:

  • Preserved pupillary light reflexes in deep coma with decerebrate posturing suggest a metabolic etiology.
  • Severe alcohol intoxication can mimic or exacerbate structural brain injury.

Implications:

  • Blood alcohol concentration is crucial for diagnosing alcoholic coma.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Exclusion of other causes via clinical examination and investigations (blood glucose, electrolytes, imaging) is essential before confirming alcoholic coma.