DELIRIUM TREMENS

Symptoms, Pathophysiology, Differential Diagnosis, Assessment and Clinical Management

Abstract

Alcohol dependence is the most prevalent substance misuse problem worldwide. One of the major features of Alcohol dependence Syndrome is an Alcohol withdrawal state which starts within a few hours since having the last drink. If the alcohol withdrawal state gets worsen, it can lean to a much more severe form of withdrawal state called Delirium Tremens. Delirium Tremens is a medical emergency and failing to identify and treat the state in a much earlier state can increase the mortality up to 20 percent. Clinicians should familiarise themselves with common symptoms of alcohol withdrawal state and common manifestations of Delirium Tremens. Treating the individual suspecting to have Delirium Tremens  in the most appropriate settings like Psychiatry hospital or Intensive Care Unit will efficiently treat the patient through a multimodal approach. While diagnosing the Delirium Tremens clinician should also keep the possibilities of other common conditions like Wernicke Encephalopathy and other medical conditions like Infection, metabolic de-arrangements etc that can cause delirium and psychiatric symptoms. Therefore, clear alcohol history will increase the possibility of narrowing down the diagnosis and treating the condition at the earliest. This article has explained the symptoms, pathophysiology, differential diagnosis and treatment of Delirium Temens.