What can happen to someone with alcohol poisoning that goes untreated?

Untreated severe alcohol poisoning can lead to life-threatening complications or even death. Some potential consequences of untreated alcohol poisoning include:

1. Aspiration: Alcohol can cause a person's gag reflex to become impaired. If a person drinks too much and passes out, they can aspirate vomit into their lungs. This can lead to aspiration pneumonia, which is a serious lung infection.

2. Central Nervous System (CNS) Depression: Alcohol can depress the activity of the central nervous system, including the brain and spinal cord. This can lead to slower reflexes, impaired judgment, decreased breathing rate, decreased heart rate, and unconsciousness.

3. Brain Damage: Excessive alcohol consumption can cause long-term damage to the brain, including structural damage and neuronal dysfunction. Prolonged alcohol poisoning can worsen this damage and contribute to cognitive impairment, personality changes, and memory problems.

4. Seizures: Alcohol can sometimes trigger seizures, especially in individuals with a history of epilepsy or other seizure disorders. Severe alcohol poisoning can increase the risk of seizures due to the imbalances it creates in the brain's neurotransmitters.

5. Cardiac Arrest: Alcohol can have negative effects on the heart and cardiovascular system. Severe alcohol poisoning can disrupt the heart's electrical signals, leading to irregular heartbeats and potentially causing a heart attack or sudden cardiac arrest.

6. Hypoglycemia: Alcohol consumption can cause hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar levels. When the body is processing alcohol, it temporarily stops metabolizing carbohydrates, which can lead to a drop in blood sugar. Severe hypoglycemia can cause seizures, coma, or death.

7. Dehydration: Alcohol is a diuretic, meaning that it increases the production of urine. This can lead to dehydration and an imbalance of electrolytes in the body, which can further aggravate the symptoms of alcohol poisoning and contribute to other health problems.

It's important to seek immediate medical attention if you or someone you know is experiencing severe alcohol poisoning. If left untreated, the consequences can be serious, even fatal.