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Thomas Sutton (1767–1835), a physician in Kent, England, was the first to publish a description of delirium tremens (the "DTs") and to connect the illness to an over indulgence in alcohol. [ 1 ] Sutton was born in Staffordshire, England about 1767.
Seizures carry the risk of major complications and death for individuals with an alcohol use disorder. [16] [13] Although the person's condition usually begins to improve after 48 hours, withdrawal symptoms sometimes continue to increase in severity and advance to the most severe stage of withdrawal, delirium tremens.
Delirium tremens is most common in people who are in alcohol withdrawal, especially in those who drink 10–11 standard drinks (equivalent of 7 to 8 US pints (3 to 4 L) of beer, 4 to 5 US pints (1.9 to 2.4 L) of wine or 1 US pint (0.5 L) of distilled beverage) daily. Delirium tremens commonly affects those with a history of habitual alcohol use ...
Alcoholism often reduces a person's life expectancy by around ten years. [21] The most common cause of death in alcoholics is from cardiovascular complications. [188] There is a high rate of suicide in chronic alcoholics, which increases the longer a person drinks.
The health benefits of a modest alcohol consumption reported in people of European descent appear not to exist among people of African descent. [ 18 ] Higher body masses and the prevalence of high levels of alcohol dehydrogenase in an individual increase alcohol tolerance, and both adult weight and enzymes vary with ethnicity.
Withdrawal of alcohol at the end of the intoxication period produced tremors and weakness in all 6 subjects. Two subjects experienced convulsions, and delirium or hallucinations (audio or visual) occurred in 4 of the 6 subjects. Given these withdrawal symptoms, Isbell et al. (1955) made some proposals for safely managing alcohol withdrawal.
Lower rates were reported for opioid– (12% (8 – 18%)), alcohol– (9% (6 – 15%)) and sedative– (10% (7 – 15%)) induced psychoses. Transition rates were slightly lower in older cohorts but were not affected by sex, country of the study, hospital or community location, urban or rural setting, diagnostic methods, or duration of follow-up.
The spectrum of alcohol withdrawal symptoms range from such minor symptoms as insomnia and tremulousness to severe complications such as withdrawal seizures and delirium tremens. [12] Alcohol withdrawal syndrome can be very tricky to diagnose, due to other preliminary conditions that may exist from individual to individual.