What is Delirium Tremens or DT’s?

Delirium Tremens and Alcohol Withdrawal

Delirium tremens is known by a variety of nicknames such as the shakes, trembling madness, jitterbugs, the horrors, and the jimjams.  Delirium tremens is a severe form of withdrawal brought on by depleted ethyl-alcohol blood concentrations in the body.  Withdrawal symptoms from alcohol may be triggered by insufficient food intake, infection, illness, or injury among those that chronically abuse alcohol.  Individuals that drink in excess of 4-5 pints of wine or 7-8 pints of beer on a daily basis for several months at a time are in a high risk category for experiencing the symptoms of delirium tremens.  The sudden onset of neurological and mental reactions associated with alcohol withdrawal may be severe and life endangering.

Symptoms of Delirium Tremens

Most symptoms of depleted alcohol blood concentrations in the body occur within seventy-two hours after the last ingestion of alcohol, but cases have been reported in which individuals experienced withdrawal symptoms seven to ten days after consuming their last alcoholic beverage.  Individuals will react to alcohol withdrawal uniquely and in accordance with distinct physiological and behavioral characteristics that are intrinsic to each person.

Most noticeably, the early stages of DT’s include elevated temperature, body tremors, and rapid heart beat or tachycardia.  Other symptoms such as nausea and restlessness can be experienced, but in general these are rather mild symptoms when compared to the toxic injuries sustained by neurons in the brain most closely connected to alcohol withdrawal.

Extreme mental and neurological states can become pronounced as confusion, agitation, and even psychotic behavior may ensue.  It is not uncommon for people who have DT’s to experience visual, auditory, and olfactory hallucinations.  Sights, sounds, and smells in an environmental space may be heightened, leaving the individual at the mercy of a terrifying experience that only sedation can effectively manage.  The mental and neurological distress of alcohol withdrawal can be so profound that individuals do not recognize family members or even close friends.  Seizures, ranging from mild to severe, may potentially lead to cardiac arrest if not treated immediately through emergency care.

In general, DT’s require emergency hospitalization in an intensive care unit for the purpose of monitoring and restoring balance to fluid and salt levels, nutrition, and other bodily needs.  Persons afflicted with DT’s may also require heart monitoring for possible palpitations, other cardiac irregularities, as well as any signs of possible infection.

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