NCBISkiptomaincontentSkiptonavigationResourcesHowToAboutNCBIAccesskeysMyNCBISignintoNCBISignOutTryoutPMCLabsandtelluswhatyouthink.LearnMore.JournalListAlcoholHealthResWorldv.22(1);1998PMC6761825AlcoholHealthResWorld.1998;22(1):61–66.PMCID:PMC6761825PMID:15706735ComplicationsofAlcoholWithdrawalPathophysiologicalInsightsLouisA.Trevisan,M.D.,NashaatBoutros,M.D.,IsmeneL.Petrakis,M.D.,andJohnH.Krystal,M.D.AuthorinformationCopyrightandLicenseinformationDisclaimerLouisA.Trevisan,M.D.,isanassistantclinicalprofessor,NashaatBoutros,M.D.,isanassociateprofessor,IsmeneL.Petrakis,M.D.,isanassistantprofessor,andJohnH.Krystal,M.D.,isanassociateprofessorinpsychiatryattheDepartmentofPsychiatry,YaleUniversity,NewHaven,ConnecticutCopyrightnoticeUnlessotherwisenotedinthetext,allmaterialappearinginthisjournalisinthepublicdomainandmaybereproducedwithoutpermission.Citationofthesourceisappreciated.ThisarticlehasbeencitedbyotherarticlesinPMC.Diseaseprocessesoreventsthataccompanyacutealcoholwithdrawal(AW)cancausesignificantillnessanddeath.Somepatientsexperienceseizures,whichmayincreaseinseveritywithsubsequentAWepisodes.AnotherpotentialAWcomplicationisdeliriumtremens,characterizedbyhallucinations,mentalconfusion,anddisorientation.Cognitiveimpairmentanddeliriummayleadtoachronicmemorydisorder(i.e.,Wernicke-Korsakoffsyndrome).Psychiatricproblemsassociatedwithwithdrawalincludeanxiety,depression,andsleepdisturbance.Inaddition,alterationsinphysiology,mood,andbehaviormaypersistafteracutewithdrawalhassubsided,motivatingrelapsetoheavydrinking.RecentadvancesinneurobiologymaysupportthedevelopmentofimprovedmedicationstodecreasetheriskofAWcomplicationsandsupportlong-termsobriety.Keywords:AODwithdrawalsyndrome,diseaseseverity,diseasecomplication,AODR(alcoholandotherdrugrelated)seizure,deliriumtremens,WernickeKorsakoffpsychosis,anxietystate,emotionalandpsychiatricdepression,sleepdisorder,moodandaffectdisturbance,heartdisorder,acuteAODE(alcoholandotherdrugeffects),AODD(alcoholandotherdrugdependence)relapse,GA