Delirium tremens can occur in a healthy person, a fake drunk alcohol in patients with CNS disease in a severe form, or received a head injury. If a person has endured psychosis, in the future it could happen again because the use of even small doses of alcohol.
What it is?
Delirium tremens - is the medical term for acute metaalkogolny psychosis, psychotic characterized by different, autonomic and so on. disorders. As both men and women at this time may occur: hallucinations, delusions, insomnia, irritability and anxiety. Delirium tremens usually occurs in alcoholics after a complete abolition of alcohol on the third or fourth day.
Psychosis can last from several days to several weeks. And if not arrest the somatic and psychotic symptoms of delirium tremens, may cause a variety of neurological disorders, injury or cerebral edema. In some cases, psychosis ends in death.
Causes of
Why there is delirium tremens - is easy to explain. In the body, who had used alcohol, ethyl alcohol ceases to act, which leads to a serious disturbance of metabolism in the brain. This in turn leads to an increase of excitation and inhibition in the central nervous system. All this greatly affects the psyche and causes a number of neuropsychiatric disorders.
Do not forget that a long hard drinking is accompanied by severe intoxication. In the body, it accumulates a huge amount of acetaldehyde and other intermediate metabolite of ethanol. These substances have a negative effect on all organs and systems, disrupting their normal functioning. Naturally, from this suffering as the brain and peripheral nervous system.
The causes of delirium tremens are as follows:
- sharp yield of long binge;
- one-time drinking large amounts of alcoholic beverages;
- the use of low-quality alcohol or its substitutes;
- long binge, long alcohol intoxication.
In most cases, acute alcoholic psychosis is part of the syndrome. The fact is that in the context of abstinence the human body especially strongly affected by this mental disorders. Also, a squirrel can occur after drinking, if a man for a long time did not drink alcoholic beverages. The disease can occur after drinking cologne, tinctures hawthorn or other alcohol-containing substances which are not intended for ingestion.
Symptoms of delirium tremens
Typically symptoms manifested after 72 hours of the last dose of drink drunk. However, if preceded by a sudden cancellation of any damage, surgery and the like, it may show signs on the first day.
The first symptoms, which can distinguish the occurrence of delirium tremens are as follows:
- there is a tremor of limbs;
- intimidating appearance of images after awakening;
- disappears craving for alcoholic beverages present in a normal state;
- there is an aversion to alcoholic beverages (not always);
- there are sleep disturbances (nightmares, insomnia, disturbing sleep rather weak, etc.);
- alcoholic suffer mood swings (from depressive to overly excited);
- It appears excessive excitement, preventing the patient to sit in one place;
- transient occurrence of visual and auditory hallucinations.
Patients who are wondering how to get rid of negative and frightening manifestations of delirium tremens, should remember that the only way get rid of the unpleasant sensations that occur during delirium tremens, is to engage with a drink and start to conduct a sober and meaningful image life.
In the case where alcohol dependence is not yet present, to get rid of delirium tremens easy cause for this is quite simple to give up alcohol. If an alcoholic already has a dependency, you must get rid of the pathological craving for alcohol, with which to retreat and delirium tremens.
Stages of alcoholic psychosis
Stage of delirium developed accordingly with the intensity of symptoms:
- the initial stage is shown sleep disorders, autonomic disorders, there is anxiety that develops on the rise; aggression or self-injury at this stage is not observed;
- delusional disorder;
- severe form, which is characterized by a pronounced neurological and psychotic symptoms; the patient at this stage may show aggression towards themselves and others.
Such step delirium tremens characteristic for a typical attack psychosis.
How long?
In most cases, delirium tremens lasts 2-8 days. During the day the patient's condition improved significantly, and with the approach of the evening comes the rapid regression. Therefore, during the day to judge the dynamics pointless to recovery.
It is about the beginning of recovery can be a significant attenuation during the evening manifestation of the disease.
What is the danger?
Delirium tremens is very dangerous for the health and even the life of the patient and the people around him. In this state, a person trying to get rid of obsessive hallucinations or "obedience" someone's orders, can commit suicide, for example, jump out the window, to hang himself, or, conversely, to rush to the rescue, as it seems, the victim, but in reality only harm him.
During an attack of delirium tremens, the person loses the orientation in space and time - do not know what day it is, where it is, where it should go. Although, it is worth noting their name and personal data can tell very accurately.
Between vision occurs so-called lucid periods when the vision is released, and the patient may even talk about them.
Treatment of delirium tremens
Delirium tremens - a condition not only need to monitor the patient to ensure the safety of himself and others, but also requires a fairly intensive drug therapy. In some cases, even necessary resuscitation. Treatment of delirium tremens, it is desirable to carry out on the basis of psycho-neurological hospital with compulsory medical resuscitation and therapist.
It prompted a lot of drugs, but currently there is no single point of view on the algorithm of treatment of delirium tremens.
In Europe, the standard treatment for delirium tremens is the appointment clomethiazole. In Russia and the United States have been the drugs of choice are benzodiazepines and. These disadvantages include respiratory depression, sedation cumulation.
In most cases, treatment for delirium tremens, combination therapy is intravenous benzodiazepines and haloperidol (or droperidol).
In parallel with knocking the psychic symptoms in the treatment of delirium tremens shown holding of intensive activities aimed at the elimination of somatic disorders. In the appointment of all agents should be aware of the degree of their influence on the nervous system and the possibility of the appointment of this group of patients with chronic alcoholism.
Consequences of delirium tremens for man
Alcohol fever is frequent cause of many more serious diseases. The consequences of this delicate condition is not so easy to predict, and sometimes they are totally unexpected. But of the common pathological phenomena is pneumonia. In general, these persons are subject to a very severe form pneumoniaBecause often they have vomiting, which leads to aspiration pneumonia, which are poorly sensitive to antibiotics.
Alcohol - a poison, a toxic effect, respectively, it is in our main pump and poison him, so toxic alcoholic cardiomyopathy frequent disease in alcoholics circles. Alcoholics have a very bad kind, it is absolutely no surprise, they have a huge shortage of vitamin resources and completely disrupted their metabolism. Much to the dismay of resuscitation alkaline-acidic balance in these individuals is entirely changed, mostly soured, which can lead to irreversible changes in the exchange.
Vodka - a strong stimulator of the release of enzymes, so alcoholism and pancreatitis inseparable. It is difficult to currently treated kind that gives a lot of inconvenience and entails intolerable pain pancreas. Conditions such as delirium tremens is not excluded any organ failure, renal failure, but very threatening pathology which is inevitably fatal. Because the liver - the main fighter with poisons, the liver failure is also often symptoms. In rare cases, especially when taking alcohol with medications can rhabdomyolysis. It is a terrible condition, which manifests itself in the decay of the body's muscles and poisoning their decay products. swelling of the brain often accompanies delirium tremens because neurons are also affected by this disease.
forecast treatment
The prognosis of delirium tremens disease depends on the shape and timing of treatment. In a typical delirium tremens, in most cases, recovery occurs. In some patients, there may be residual effects in the form of psycho-organic syndrome and memory disorders of varying severity. At the same time (especially if untreated) can not exclude the possibility of serious complications in the internal organs. The probability of death increases dramatically with severe psychoses.
Prognostically unfavorable signs are severe hyperthermia, intestinal paresis, acute cardiovascular insufficiency, paresis ocular muscles, deep disturbance of consciousness, twitching of muscles, disorders of urination, incontinence, and rapid breathing more than 48 breaths per minute. Even with a favorable outcome should be remembered that all patients who have had delirium tremens, the risk of recurrent psychosis increases sharply when taking alcohol.
In conclusion, we say that delirium tremens - a condition dangerous to human health and life, which is developing rapidly. In order to prevent its occurrence, it is necessary to respect the culture of consumption of alcoholic beverages, but rather, in principle, to give them up, so you eliminate the cause. Cancel the use of alcohol will affect your life only positively. If you suspect such a state, do not procrastinate. Only qualified and timely medical assistance provided to help get rid of the disease and does not allow to develop the after effects of a disease like delirium tremens.
