Víctor Alfonso Abuadili Garza
Objective: Systemic intoxication was analyzed from a cause-and-effect perspective to differentiate its endogenous and exogenous forms and to interpret its role as a relevant causal chain in the health–disease transition, going beyond the traditional focus on the clinical effect. Methodology: An exploratory sequential mixed-methods study was conducted. In this phase, the qualitative documentary component was prioritized, based on a literature review in PubMed, Google Scholar, Latindex, and meta-search engines. Additionally, an interpretive integration of applied clinical biosemiotics was carried out using the iterative metabolic assessment methodology of the technique application system for metabolic diagnosis (ATDM system). Capillaroscopy was used to identify microcirculatory and metabolic signals associated with toxic accumulation processes. Results: A classification framework was established that distinguished endogenous intoxication (due to deficient metabolite generation or clearance) from exogenous intoxication (resulting from exposure to environmental or occupational xenobiotics, consumption/abuse, or venoms), and illustrative capillaroscopic patterns linked to detoxification impairments, intestinal permeability, and exposure to external compounds were described; additionally, the literature review revealed that recent studies have predominantly addressed systemic intoxication from the perspective of its effects, identifying a gap in research focused on its interpretation as a primary cause of disease. Conclusions: It was concluded that the cause-and-effect approach, articulated thru Applied Clinical Biosemiotics and the ATDM System, enabled an integrative interpretation for the early identification of tissue and metabolic processes related to systemic intoxication, with potential preventive and personalized utility; it was proposed to continue with the experimental quantitative phase to evaluate diagnostic performance, reproducibility, and applicability across different exposure profiles.