Almost everyone has experienced the unpleasant consequences of drinking alcohol at least once. The classic manifestations are indigestion, swollen and reddened face, drowsiness, lethargy, increased gas formation. Especially it is worth paying attention to red spots after alcohol. It is believed that they are no longer a sign of a classic manifestation of alcohol poisoning, but an allergy. In this case, it is necessary to understand the causes of this phenomenon and, if necessary, take up treatment. In this article, we will try to understand the problem in as much detail as possible.
Alcohol allergy
The reason for the appearance of any allergy is a malfunction of the immune system of the human body. It manifests itself in different ways. Red spots after alcohol is one of the factors. In most cases, failure occurs insituations when a harmless substance is considered harmful by the body. To combat it, antibodies are produced by the human immune system. When they come into contact with a foreign substance, they release powerful chemical compounds. An excess of the latter is just considered the main allergic symptom. In this case, these are red spots on the body after alcohol.
At the same time, it is worth recognizing that in its pure form, an allergy to drinking alcohol is extremely rare. And its true causes have not yet been reliably determined.
Features
To understand the nature of red spots on the body after alcohol, you need to understand how alcohol interacts with the human body. Note that the human body itself produces alcohol in small quantities on an ongoing basis. As a rule, the average content in the blood is from 0.01 to 0.03 mg. For this reason, the very existence of such an allergy seems strange to many researchers.
In people with a similar problem, just 1 ml of pure alcohol can cause an allergic reaction, which is the equivalent of a sip of beer or 10 ml of wine. Moreover, the consequences can be very dangerous, even fatal. The situation is further complicated by the fact that preliminary allergy tests for alcohol in many people may turn out to be negative. However, they are positive for the breakdown products of ethanol. These are acetic acid and acetaldehyde.
Even more often, an allergic reaction, which is manifested by red spots after alcohol, is caused by various components included incomposition of alcoholic beverages. For example, it can be various additives - clarifiers, flavors, preservatives, thickeners. Or maybe the very raw material from which the drink was made. These products contribute to the development of allergies in a person, even if he is not sensitive to pure alcohol.
Moreover, there is the concept of an acquired allergy to alcohol itself or any of its ingredients. It can occur at any time in life.
Symptoms
With this type of allergy, even a small amount of alcohol can cause symptoms. And it does not matter whether the body reacts to the alcohol itself or the substances that make up it. Symptoms can be different - red spots after drinking alcohol - one of the most harmless. Possible anaphylactic shock. In such a situation, the patient's life is in danger.
The classic symptoms of this allergy, in addition to red spots, are:
- itchy nose, lips and facial skin;
- increased tearing, conjunctivitis characteristic of this condition;
- swelling of the throat, face and other parts of the body;
- hoarse cough, stuffy nose, difficulty breathing;
- eczema, severe skin rash;
- stomach cramps and pain, vomiting, nausea, diarrhea;
- loss of consciousness, dizziness.
In some cases, alcohol makes patients with classic urticaria feel worse. True, rashes that cause physical contact with an irritant are extremely rare.rarely. If a person suffers from bronchial asthma, then alcohol can cause various complications in him. It will be shortness of breath up to bronchial obstruction, a strong and incessant cough. Alcohol also exacerbates food allergy symptoms. In this case, everything can also end in anaphylactic shock.
Situations are known when strong alcohol provoked a strong allergic reaction to foods that the patient could previously eat without any consequences, and then this began to lead to serious problems. This is explained by the fact that alcohol increases the ability of the digestive system to absorb nutrients that enter the human body. A classic example is an allergy to chicken meat or meat of other birds, which is quite common. Moreover, it can manifest itself only in those cases when a person has a snack while drinking.
If you or someone you know has one or more of these symptoms after drinking alcohol, you should immediately consult a doctor for advice and follow-up care. If you ignore the symptoms, this can lead to sad consequences. Most likely, the allergic reaction to the irritant will intensify, it will become increasingly difficult to endure the symptoms until a fatal outcome occurs. In this case, the fact that red spots appear after drinking alcohol is one of the first symptoms, after the appearance of which you should be seriously concerned.
Alcohol intolerance or allergy
Distinguish between allergies and intolerancesalcohol. This is also a fairly common phenomenon, which can manifest itself in various unpleasant sensations. Including stomach cramps, red spots on the face after alcohol, nausea, headaches, vomiting, palpitations.
The difference between these conditions lies in the fact that with allergies, the human immune system reacts either to the alcohol itself or to the substance that is part of a certain drink. But with intolerance to ethyl alcohol, the digestive system is simply unable to cope with it, which leads to similar consequences.
This happens if the human body does not produce a special enzyme that helps to absorb certain substances and break them down. For example, this phenomenon is often found in residents of Asian countries. The gene that is responsible for the conversion of alcohol to acetaldehyde, and then to acetic acid, does not work well for them. Because of this, acetaldehyde in the body becomes so much that all of the above symptoms occur.
Intolerance to other alcohol-related substances
In addition to intolerance to ethyl alcohol, the human body can react badly to other substances that are in his body along with alcoholic beverages.
For example, problems arise with histamine. It is a chemical that is produced by the human body itself. But at the same time, it is found in certain drinks and foods, especially fermented ones. A lot of histamine is found in sauerkraut, smoked meat, cheese, beer and wine. For hisAs a result of this breakdown, our body normally produces another substance known as diamine oxidase. But if it turns out that the right amount cannot be produced, histamine begins to accumulate, which leads to similar allergic symptoms - red spots on the face after alcohol, stuffy nose, diarrhea, abdominal pain.
Sulfite intolerance may also occur. These compounds often end up in beer or wine. They act as a preservative or limit fermentation. In the food industry, potassium pyrosulfite and potassium hydrosulfite are most often found. In the composition of foods and drinks, they are designated E224 and E228, respectively. Sulfur dioxide can also cause allergic reactions. It is especially abundant in wine.
In some cases, the pain that accompanies drinking alcohol leads to the development of cancer. Fortunately, this rarely happens. As a rule, in this case, the diagnosis is Hodgkin's lymphoma or lymphogranulomatosis. The danger of such an ailment lies in the fact that enlarged lymph nodes in Hodgkin's disease do not hurt. A person begins to experience discomfort only after drinking alcohol. The exact reason for this has not yet been established.
Diagnosis
If you have red spots on your body after alcohol or other symptoms described in the article, you should definitely consult a doctor for advice. Depending on the specific signs and manifestations of the disease, the doctor will refer you toan allergist who will find out the exact causes of this condition.
Most likely, at the appointment you will have to answer what kind of alcoholic beverages cause the symptoms that bother you, how they manifest themselves, how long ago these problems appeared. Also, remember in advance if you have relatives suffering from a similar allergy, what other diseases you have.
If your doctor suspects that you are allergic to alcohol, they will suggest that you be tested accordingly. The most common type in modern diagnostics is the skin test. At the same time, a small amount of the allergen is applied to the scratched or pricked skin with a special medical instrument. If this is the irritant, then the reaction will be obvious. A blood test is also used for antibodies and antigens that it contains.
If it is not possible to establish an irritant in this way, in some cases the doctor may suggest that the patient drink a small amount of alcohol, which is supposed to cause a negative reaction. In this case, the doctor must carefully monitor the reaction of the patient's body.
Wine
When a person is covered with red spots after alcohol, often the reason may lie in the fault. Red wine is considered the most allergenic. Often a negative reaction is provoked by one of the ingredients that make up its composition or the raw materials that were used to make it. For example, a certain grape variety. The fact that after alcohol there are red spots on the face, non-ethyl can also be to blame.components of this drink. For example, by-products of fermentation, which turn ordinary grape juice into wine. You should also carefully consider additives that give alcohol the necessary taste, texture and aroma. In some cases, even the mold that appears on the cork of a wine bottle causes an allergic reaction.
Let's analyze each of the causes of red spots after alcohol in more detail. Grapes, from which wine is made, as a raw material, often act as a powerful allergen. In addition to the substances that it contains, the disease can be provoked by the processing of berries before picking. In modern conditions, sulfur dioxide is often used for this. Allergies are also caused by fungal diseases that plants often suffer from.
The most feared by-product of grape juice fermentation is histamine. Its content in wine can be different, varying greatly depending on the variety and type of drink. Red wine has more histamine than white wine, and its concentration is higher in shiraz than in cabernet.
About a third of patients with an alcohol allergy complain that they become ill after taking small doses of alcohol. In this case, the preservatives are to blame. The main reason why red spots appear after alcohol is sodium pyrosulfate. It is one of the most ancient preservatives. In this capacity, it was used by the ancient Romans. After drinking drinks that have it in their composition, the condition of patients with asthma worsens. They may have a seizure. Sodium pyrosulfate is especially abundant in white and barrelfault. Recently, more and more wines with a reduced content of sodium pyrosulfate in their composition appear on sale. Although patients with high sensitivity to sulfur compounds are still not recommended to use them.
To increase the shelf life of wine, other sulfur compounds can be added to it. They can also lead to an asthma attack, and in people sensitive to certain substances, cause anaphylactic shock. Complicates breathing in asthma sodium benzoate, known as E211. It can also become a factor that provokes hives.
From food coloring, allergy sufferers should beware of tartrazine. This substance is designated as E102. Usually, it is added to wine to give it a characteristic golden hue. This substance is highly allergenic and can trigger an asthma attack and skin rashes.
Allergic reactions after cheap champagne can be caused by sweeteners that are added to it to mask the shortcomings of the sparkling drink. Finally, proteins may be the reason why red spots appear on the body after alcohol. They are necessary for manufacturers to change the transparency of the drink. Proteins can cause allergies on their own. It is still unknown if they are able to provoke a negative reaction after being used as an illuminator.
Beer
Beer is second only to wine allergy. This drink also contains a wide variety of substances that can provoke one or another characteristic symptom.
Forfermentation of cheap beers with the help of enzymes, rice, corn, potatoes, as well as a variety of m alts - wheat, barley, corn, rye are used. Allergies are provoked by protein compounds that are present in these substances. Susceptible patients are also at risk from the recently popular gluten-free beer, which is brewed with sorghum. It causes allergies in case of individual intolerance to this cereal. Also, only in case of individual intolerance, hops are dangerous.
The content of brewer's yeast in the finished product is quite low, but enough to cause an allergy.
Histamine in beer is much less than in red wine. But even this small amount of this chemical can cause problems. Allergies also happen to flavors and flavors. These include orange peel, coriander, berry and fruit extracts. In the manufacture of the drink, they are almost completely processed, but residual traces can cause individual symptoms. For example, red spots after drinking alcohol.
Beer, like wine, has preservatives. These are calcium and potassium benzoates, sulfites. There are more preservatives in draft beer than bottled beer. Finally, illuminators are a danger. In this case, tannins and tannic acid. They are dangerous in the presence of individual intolerance.
Strong alcohol
There is an opinion that vodka is alcohol, which is the least likely to cause allergies. This is true only if we sayabout high quality vodka. Then its main ingredient is ethyl alcohol diluted with water. There are no other components that may present a hazard.
Probable allergens are found in plant materials, but they are usually removed during the purification stage of the product.
But if the vodka is cheap or flavored, then you should be afraid of allergies. The provoking factors in this case are clarifiers, flavors, fusel oils and other impurities.
Cognac is another hard liquor that is rarely allergic. It is made from grapes, and the main reason that after alcohol the face becomes covered with red spots is the sulfur compound, which is used as a preservative, as in wine. Also, at the stage of fermentation of grape raw materials, histamine can be formed.
The tannins that make up cognac reduce the likelihood of intestinal cell permeability, which reduces the effect that alcohol produces. However, they can cause allergies on their own. If you come across low-quality cognac, then it may contain a lot of foreign impurities-allergens - dyes, flavors, fusel oils.
It is believed that a person simply cannot be allergic to alcohol in its pure form. However, drinking 96% alcohol is not possible, since in this case the mucous membrane burns. Alcohol is diluted, and all kinds of additives cause an allergy in a person. The situation is aggravated by the fact that alcohol is first-classsolvent.
Treatment
If a person is covered with red spots after alcohol, this is a symptom that must be disposed of. The bad news is that there is no cure for allergies. Modern medicine only helps to relieve symptoms, to prevent reactions that could threaten a person's life or he alth.
If you are allergic to alcohol itself, then the only salvation is complete abstinence from alcohol. Remember that even a small amount can lead to serious consequences, red spots will immediately appear after alcohol.
Such patients should always remember that alcohol is in the composition of many foods. For example, in ready-made sauces, fizzy drinks, tomato puree, marinade. Overripe fruits can start fermenting. The alcohol they contain may be enough to trigger an allergic reaction. Some medicines also contain alcohol. For example, cough syrup. Be aware that some restaurants cook with alcohol.
In most cases, the picture is still not so sad, red spots after drinking alcohol do not appear so often. Usually, only certain varieties or types of drink or their combinations with certain foods cause allergies. So it is enough to change the drink or monitor your diet to avoid problems. In this case, you should still consult with your doctor beforehand.
If red spots appear after alcohol, but the reaction is not strong, antihistamines can help. They are taken orally. Means that relieve specific unpleasant symptoms are also used. The nasopharynx is rinsed with a decoction of chamomile, with itching, painkillers and healing ointments will help. In difficult situations, it is recommended to carry a medical bracelet with a dose of adrenaline to apply it as a last resort. After that, you need to immediately call an ambulance and agree to hospitalization.
