Twenty-Eight-Day-Long Delirium Tremens

Overview

Journal J Investig Med High Impact Case Rep

Specialty General Medicine

Date 2019 May 5

PMID 31053040

Citations 1

Authors

Paritosh Kafle

Amrendra Kumar Mandal

Binav Shrestha

Bikash Bhattrai

Manjul Bhandari

Shambhu Bhagat

Bijoy Shankar Kar

Dikshya Sharma

Vijay Gayam

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Refractory alcohol withdrawal delirium is uncommon in day-to-day clinical practice. This case report presents a rare case of delirium tremens of unusually long duration that was complicated by the difficulty in tapering down benzodiazepines despite adding midazolam drip as well as phenobarbitone to the management regimen and excluding other possible diagnoses.

Citing Articles

Delirium Tremens: A Review of Clinical Studies.

Kaye A, Staser A, Mccollins T, Zheng J, Berry F, Burroughs C Cureus. 2024; 16(4):e57601.

PMID: 38707114 PMC: 11069634. DOI: 10.7759/cureus.57601.

References

Mehta A, Ticku M . Ethanol potentiation of GABAergic transmission in cultured spinal cord neurons involves gamma-aminobutyric acidA-gated chloride channels. J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 1988; 246(2):558-64. View

FEUERLEIN W, Reiser E . Parameters affecting the course and results of delirium tremens treatment. Acta Psychiatr Scand Suppl. 1986; 329:120-3. DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0447.1986.tb10547.x. View

Victor M, Adams R . The effect of alcohol on the nervous system. Res Publ Assoc Res Nerv Ment Dis. 1953; 32:526-73. View

Turner R, Lichstein P, Peden Jr J, Busher J, Waivers L . Alcohol withdrawal syndromes: a review of pathophysiology, clinical presentation, and treatment. J Gen Intern Med. 1989; 4(5):432-44. DOI: 10.1007/BF02599697. View

MILLER F . Protracted alcohol withdrawal delirium. J Subst Abuse Treat. 1994; 11(2):127-30. DOI: 10.1016/0740-5472(94)90029-9. View

CUSHMAN Jr P . Delirium tremens. Update on an old disorder. Postgrad Med. 1987; 82(5):117-22. DOI: 10.1080/00325481.1987.11699999. View

Stendig-Lindberg G, RUDY N . Stepwise regression analysis of an intensive 1-year study of delirium tremens. Acta Psychiatr Scand. 1980; 62(4):273-97. DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0447.1980.tb00616.x. View

Hersh D, Kranzler H, Meyer R . Persistent delirium following cessation of heavy alcohol consumption: diagnostic and treatment implications. Am J Psychiatry. 1997; 154(6):846-51. DOI: 10.1176/ajp.154.6.846. View

Suzdak P, Schwartz R, Skolnick P, Paul S . Ethanol stimulates gamma-aminobutyric acid receptor-mediated chloride transport in rat brain synaptoneurosomes. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1986; 83(11):4071-5. PMC: 323668. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.83.11.4071. View

10.

Nolop K, Natow A . Unprecedented sedative requirements during delirium tremens. Crit Care Med. 1985; 13(4):246-7. DOI: 10.1097/00003246-198504000-00008. View

11.

Woo E, Greenblatt D . Massive benzodiazepine requirements during acute alcohol withdrawal. Am J Psychiatry. 1979; 136(6):821-3. DOI: 10.1176/ajp.136.6.821. View

12.

Guthrie S . The treatment of alcohol withdrawal. Pharmacotherapy. 1989; 9(3):131-43. DOI: 10.1002/j.1875-9114.1989.tb04119.x. View

13.

Cagetti E, Liang J, Spigelman I, Olsen R . Withdrawal from chronic intermittent ethanol treatment changes subunit composition, reduces synaptic function, and decreases behavioral responses to positive allosteric modulators of GABAA receptors. Mol Pharmacol. 2002; 63(1):53-64. DOI: 10.1124/mol.63.1.53. View