Abstract
Objectives
The aim of this study was to analyze the clinical variables associated with the occurrence, duration, and severity of alcohol withdrawal delirium (AWD) in patients with alcohol dependence.
Methods
We conducted a retrospective case-control study in alcohol dependent inpatients admitted to the psychiatric department, between 2006 and 2012 (n=863). Multivariable logistic and linear regression models were used for analysis of risk factors associated with development of AWD and the duration of illness, respectively. And multivariable logistic regression models were applied for assessment of risk factors associated with seclusions or physical restraints, which reflect the severity of AWD.
Results
Significant predictors for the occurrence of AWD included higher body temperature, lower platelet count, lower serum potassium, higher drinking amount, history of AWD, and history of head trauma or structural brain lesion. Variables associated with prolongation of delirium included higher body temperature, higher drinking amount, and less use of benzodiazepine during the AWD episode. Significant predictors for severe AWD included higher systolic blood pressure, longer duration of harmful alcohol use, and higher drinking amount.
Conclusion
Easily determinable parameters, such as vital signs and past history related to drinking are significantly associated with not only development of AWD, but also its severity and duration. Therefore, when initially assessing alcohol dependent patients, clinicians should keep these parameters in mind in order to prevent occurrence of risky withdrawal delirium and behavioral problems.
Figures and Tables
Table 2
*: p<0.05, **: p<0.01, ***: p<0.001, †: Systolic blood pressure in first 24 hours after admission, ‡: Highest axillary temperature in first 24 hours after admission. AWD : Alcohol withdrawal delirium, MCV : Mean corpuscular volume, AST : Aspartate aminotransferase, ALT : Alanine aminotransferase, GGTP : Gamma-glutamyl-transpeptidase, BUN : Blood urea nitrogen, SD : Standard deviation
References
1. Fiellin DA, O'Connor PG, Holmboe ES, Horwitz RI. Risk for delirium tremens in patients with alcohol withdrawal syndrome. Subst Abus. 2002. 23:83–94.
2. Mayo-Smith MF, Beecher LH, Fischer TL, Gorelick DA, Guillaume JL, Hill A, et al. Management of alcohol withdrawal delirium. An evidence-based practice guideline. Arch Intern Med. 2004. 164:1405–1412.
3. Ferguson JA, Suelzer CJ, Eckert GJ, Zhou XH, Dittus RS. Risk factors for delirium tremens development. J Gen Intern Med. 1996. 11:410–414.
4. Khan A, Levy P, DeHorn S, Miller W, Compton S. Predictors of mortality in patients with delirium tremens. Acad Emerg Med. 2008. 15:788–790.
5. Cushman P Jr. Delirium tremens. Update on an old disorder. Postgrad Med. 1987. 82:117–122.
6. Brown ME, Anton RF, Malcolm R, Ballenger JC. Alcohol detoxification and withdrawal seizures: clinical support for a kindling hypothesis. Biol Psychiatry. 1988. 23:507–514.
7. Lechtenberg R, Worner TM. Seizure risk with recurrent alcohol detoxification. Arch Neurol. 1990. 47:535–538.
8. Monte R, Rabuñal R, Casariego E, Bal M, Pértega S. Risk factors for delirium tremens in patients with alcohol withdrawal syndrome in a hospital setting. Eur J Intern Med. 2009. 20:690–694.
9. Berggren U, Fahlke C, Berglund KJ, Blennow K, Zetterberg H, Balldin J. Thrombocytopenia in early alcohol withdrawal is associated with development of delirium tremens or seizures. Alcohol Alcohol. 2009. 44:382–386.
10. Eyer F, Schuster T, Felgenhauer N, Pfab R, Strubel T, Saugel B, et al. Risk assessment of moderate to severe alcohol withdrawal--predictors for seizures and delirium tremens in the course of withdrawal. Alcohol Alcohol. 2011. 46:427–433.
11. Wetterling T, Kanitz RD, Veltrup C, Driessen M. Clinical predictors of alcohol withdrawal delirium. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 1994. 18:1100–1102.
12. Thompson WL, Johnson AD, Maddrey WL. Diazepam and paraldehyde for treatment of severe delirium tremens. A controlled trial. Ann Intern Med. 1975. 82:175–180.
13. World Health Organization. The ICD-10 Classification of Mental and Behavioural Disorders: Clinical Descriptions and Diagnostic Guidelines. 1992. Geneva: World Health Organization.
14. American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. 2000. 4th ed. test revision. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association.
15. Turner C. How much alcohol is in a 'standard drink'? An analysis of 125 studies. Br J Addict. 1990. 85:1171–1175.
16. Sundararajan V, Henderson T, Perry C, Muggivan A, Quan H, Ghali WA. New ICD-10 version of the Charlson comorbidity index predicted in-hospital mortality. J Clin Epidemiol. 2004. 57:1288–1294.
17. Trzepacz P, van der Mast R. Lindesay J, Rockwood K, MacDonald A. The neuropathophysiology of delirium. Delirium in Old Age. 2002. Oxford: Oxford University Press;51–90.
19. Martín C, González Buitrago JM, Laso FJ. [Adrenergic regulation of potassium homeostasis]. Med Clin (Barc). 1991. 96:424–427.
20. Wojnar M, Bizoń Z, Wasilewski D. The role of somatic disorders and physical injury in the development and course of alcohol withdrawal delirium. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 1999. 23:209–213.
21. Schuckit MA, Tipp JE, Reich T, Hesselbrock VM, Bucholz KK. The histories of withdrawal convulsions and delirium tremens in 1648 alcohol dependent subjects. Addiction. 1995. 90:1335–1347.
22. Essardas Daryanani H, Santolaria FJ, Gonzalez Reimers E, Jorge JA, Batista Lopez N, Martin Hernandez F, et al. Alcoholic withdrawal syndrome and seizures. Alcohol Alcohol. 1994. 29:323–328.
23. Kraemer KL, Mayo-Smith MF, Calkins DR. Independent clinical correlates of severe alcohol withdrawal. Subst Abus. 2003. 24:197–209.
24. Conigrave KM, Davies P, Haber P, Whitfield JB. Traditional markers of excessive alcohol use. Addiction. 2003. 98:Suppl 2. 31–43.
25. Lee CH, Lee E, Park SH, Jung SY, Park SJ, Soek JH, et al. Prediction of the development of alcohol withdrawal delirium. J Korean Neuropsychiatr Assoc. 2004. 43:559–563.
26. Lee JS, Lee BH, Ji H, Jang GH, Shin HE. Clinical factors correlated to elirium tremens during acute alcohol withdrawal of inpatients with alcohol dependence. J Korean Neuropsychiatr Assoc. 2012. 51:164–169.
27. Lutz UC. Alterations in homocysteine metabolism among alcohol dependent patients--clinical, pathobiochemical and genetic aspects. Curr Drug Abuse Rev. 2008. 1:47–55.
28. Gunther ML, Morandi A, Krauskopf E, Pandharipande P, Girard TD, Jackson JC, et al. The association between brain volumes, delirium duration, and cognitive outcomes in intensive care unit survivors: the VISIONS cohort magnetic resonance imaging study*. Crit Care Med. 2012. 40:2022–2032.
29. Kril JJ, Halliday GM, Svoboda MD, Cartwright H. The cerebral cortex is damaged in chronic alcoholics. Neuroscience. 1997. 79:983–998.
30. Pfefferbaum A, Lim KO, Zipursky RB, Mathalon DH, Rosenbloom MJ, Lane B, et al. Brain gray and white matter volume loss accelerates with aging in chronic alcoholics: a quantitative MRI study. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 1992. 16:1078–1089.
31. Hawley RJ, Major LF, Schulman EA, Linnoila M. Cerebrospinal fluid 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol and norepinephrine levels in alcohol withdrawal. Correlations with clinical signs. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1985. 42:1056–1062.