The importance of the parameter sex & gender in anesthesia and intensive care medicine dealing with patients under alcohol influence

Alcoholised females and males belong to a specific group of risk patients in anesthesia and intensive care medicine. Knowledge about effects touching the interaction of chronic alcohol consumption and acute alcohol abuse with other drugs is on a very low level. The assessment of risk depends on several factors. In addition to the judgement of grades of seriousness of an alcohol intoxication the parameter of sex and gender can be seen as much a prominent parameter as age, morbidity, and co-morbidity. This thesis is confirmed by some significant sex-based biological differences related to biological effects of alcohol consumption and differences in pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics of anesthetics. The high rate of injuries and accidents under the influence of alcohol, strongly recommends the detection of a sex- and gender-sensitive approach by anesthesia and intensive care medicine to patients with chronic or acute alcohol abuse.