Acute delirium tremens (alcohol withdrawal seizures)

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The process of quitting alcohol can be difficult especially for those who do not have enough willpower and energy. In addition, alcoholics can experience acute delirium, also known as alcohol withdrawal seizures, with a high risk of death and neurological disorders affecting themselves and those around them.

1. What is acute delirium?

Acute delirium, also known as a withdrawal seizure, is an emergency psychiatric emergency because of its rapid and sudden onset after an alcoholic has stopped drinking or has stopped drinking for 6 years. -12 o'clock. Symptoms of alcohol withdrawal seizures will become more pronounced in 1-2 days and persist for several days. If acute delirium is not treated promptly, it will endanger the patient's life, the death rate of delirium is quite high, up to 33% of the total cases.
Severe delirium often occurs with heavy drinkers or people undergoing alcohol withdrawal. In order to accurately diagnose acute delirium, the doctor will base on the test results of the following tests:
Check blood magnesium levels Check blood phosphate levels Comprehensive metabolic panel Electrocardiogram Electroencephalogram Toxicology Test

2. Symptoms of acute delirium

2.1 Initiation phase

Symptoms of acute alcohol delirium usually appear 1-2 days after stopping drinking alcohol, then the patient will have symptoms such as insomnia, lightheadedness, trembling limbs, autonomic disturbances with other symptoms. manifest as red skin, faster pulse, palpitations, anxiety, fear, profuse sweating. Although usually alcohol withdrawal seizures occur 1-2 days after stopping drinking, there are cases where patients develop symptoms of acute delirium after 3-4 days. If a patient experiences seizure-like symptoms during alcohol withdrawal, watch out for this could be delirium tremens. Patients should go to the hospital for examination and treatment as prescribed by the doctor to avoid possible dangerous complications.

2.2 Full-blown stage

This is the stage when the manifestations of acute delirium are most complete and abundant. This phase usually occurs 3-4 days after stopping drinking. The three main symptoms of this full-blown phase include:
Total insomnia : The person cannot sleep at all, they have severe insomnia and may not sleep for 24 hours.
Consciousness disorder: The patient has severe cognitive problems, cannot distinguish time and space, sometimes does not recognize himself

Delusions and hallucinations: The patient experiences visual and auditory hallucinations, delusions and hallucinations that will partially or completely dominate the patient's actions. People with acute delirium when they can't control their actions can easily cause many unfortunate accidents for themselves as well as those around them, so they need to be treated early to avoid unfortunate things that can happen. In addition, the symptoms of alcohol withdrawal seizures usually occur in the evening and tend to subside in the morning. Patients may also have seizures that are accompanied by spasticity and may not be accompanied by the above symptoms.

3. How to treat alcohol withdrawal seizures?

Patients with acute delirium during alcohol withdrawal should go to the hospital for treatment to prevent complications that can lead to death. Patients with delirium tremens will be treated in the emergency room of the psychiatric department with full support equipment during treatment. After being immobilized in bed, the doctor will let the doctor smell alcohol soaked cotton or give wine with about 50ml of 10 degrees alcohol, 3 times a day to help the patient relieve the symptoms of acute delirium. The patient will be suctioned sputum and oxygen support if necessary.
After that, the doctor will conduct an examination and order hematology tests, liver and kidney function tests, especially blood sugar tests.
In addition, the patient will be treated with a body detox method, the doctor will use water with vitamins, electrolytes and pain relievers to infuse the patient's body through an intravenous line to control irritation and prevent seizures. Several medications are also used to treat acute delirium including Diazepam, Vitamin B1, Ringer lactate, Piracetam...

After the symptoms of acute delirium are relieved, the patient will be able to go home if the condition is stable, however, to prevent the disease from recurring, the patient must be treated at home for a long time by completely abstaining from alcohol. , have a healthy lifestyle, change habits, especially drinking habits with friends.
Periodic health check-ups help to detect diseases early, so that there are treatment plans for optimal results. Currently, Vinmec International General Hospital has general health checkup packages suitable for each age, gender and individual needs of customers with a reasonable price policy.
The patient's examination results will be returned to the home. After receiving the results of the general health examination, if you detect diseases that require intensive examination and treatment, you can use services from other specialties at the Hospital with quality treatment and services. outstanding customer service.

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