Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 12, 2026

Chronic Intermittent Ethanol Vapor Exposure Paired with Two-Bottle Choice to Model Alcohol Use Disorder
Published on: June 23, 2023
[Course of alcohol withdrawal syndrome in a general hospital]
Rafael Monte Secades1, Ramón Rabuñal Rey, Fátima Paz Fuentes
1Servicio de Medicina Interna. Complexo Hospitalario Xeral-Calde, Lugo. rafael.monte.secades@sergas.es
Introduction And Objective:
There is little information available regarding the course of alcohol withdrawal syndrome in a general hospital. The aim of this study was to analyse the timing of the most important clinical features attributed to alcohol withdrawal, as well as their prognostic implications.
Material And Method:
A cohort study of patients with a diagnosis of alcohol withdrawal syndrome was carried out at the Xeral Hospital in Lugo (Spain) between 1987 and 2003, in accordance with DSM IV-TR criteria. Data on clinical characteristics and course were collected, with special attention to the timing of significant events.
Results:
A total of 539 episodes were studied in 436 patients: 156 cases of alcohol withdrawal syndrome and 383 of alcohol withdrawal delirium. Mean time of abstinence until the diagnosis of alcohol withdrawal syndrome was 54 hours (D.T. = 31.1). Seizures occurred at 35 hours (D.T. = 23.3) after abstinence. The alcohol withdrawal syndrome lasted for 46.4 hours (D.T. = 23.1) after diagnosis. In cases in which delirium tremens developed, this occurred at 46.4 hours (D.T. = 23.1), and lasted 73.9 hours (D.T. = 41.5). Patients needing intensive care were admitted to the ICU 40.8 hours (D.T. = 60) after the diagnosis of alcohol withdrawal syndrome. The clinical features of alcohol withdrawal syndrome tended to be more prolonged in patients admitted with a medical or surgical diagnosis other than withdrawal syndrome than in those admitted because of withdrawal syndrome itself.
Conclusions:
The natural history of alcohol withdrawal syndrome in a general hospital setting and the timings of its principal events follow a clearly recognizable pattern. This knowledge can help to provide better assessment in relation to the monitoring and treatment of these patients.
More Related Videos
15:27Construction of Vapor Chambers Used to Expose Mice to Alcohol During the Equivalent of all Three Trimesters of Human Development
Published on: July 13, 2014
09:29Investigating Drivers of Antireward in Addiction Behavior with Anatomically Specific Single-Cell Gene Expression Methods
Published on: August 4, 2022
Related Concept Videos
CNS Depressants: Alcohol and Nicotine
Restorative Care
Disorders of Acid-Base Balance
Respiratory Acidosis and Alkalosis
Respiratory acidosis occurs due to an increase in the partial pressure of carbon dioxide PCO2 in the blood. It often arises from shallow breathing or impaired gas exchange caused by...
Classification of Illness
An illness is a response to a disease in which the person's level of functioning is changed compared with a previous level. The general classification of illness includes acute and chronic.
Acute illness is severe and...
Methods of reducing fever
Pharmacological Methods of Reducing Fever:
Cirrhosis I: Introduction