Disulfiram Ethanol Reaction with Ischemic Stroke

Severe hypotension and ischemic stroke after disulfiram-ethanol reaction.

Disulfiram (tetraethylthiuram disulfide) has been used for almost 60 years in the treatment of alcohol addiction. It causes aversive behavior due to disulfiram-ethanol reaction (DER). The classical DER includes flush, sweating, tremor, nausea, vomiting, tachycardia, moderate decrease in blood pressure and restlessness. Complete recovery is the usual outcome in clinical settings. Life-threatenin...

The disulfiram--ethanol reaction: a review.

Two year-old boy with ischemic stroke

Arterial ischemic stroke (AIS) in adults is considered a serious health threat and requires urgent medical treatment. Prompt diagnosis allows the therapeutic option of thrombolysis within the time window of 3 to 6 hours after first symptoms. Alternatively, early anti-platelet therapy is effective in improving the outcome after stroke. The incidence of pediatric AIS range from 2 to 5 per 100 000...

Fomepizole for severe disulfiram-ethanol reactions.

Ingestion of ethanol in the presence of disulfiram may cause a histamine-like reaction due to accumulation of acetaldehyde. These disulfiram-ethanol reactions (DERs) are manifested by hypotension, tachycardia, gastritis, and angioedema. Fomepizole, an inhibitor of alcohol dehydrogenase, may halt progression of this reaction by blocking ethanol metabolism to acetaldehyde. We present 2 cases of d...

Vitamin D and Ischemic Stroke

Introduction: stroke is the most important brain disease. Stroke leads to a reduction in bone density, altered calcium homeostasis, and an increase in hip fractures. Some recent studies show effects of vitamin D on stroke and vice versa. The purpose of this study was to determine of serum vitamin D levels in patients with acute stroke. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we compared t...