Delirium tremens increases the risk of early death.
Individuals who have experienced delirium tremens due to high alcohol consumption have a greater risk of early death compared to those who have other alcohol-related disorders.
Photo: Colourbox
Individuals who have experienced delirium tremens also have an increased risk of illness and accidents. This is highlighted in a study on the long-term effects of delirium tremens. Among those behind the study are Professor Jørgen Bramness from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health (FHI) and UiT The Arctic University of Norway, along with postdoctoral researcher and analyst at SKDE, Ina H. Heiberg.
The consequences are poorly understood
Delirium tremens (DT) is a condition that individuals with alcohol use disorder may experience when they reduce a long-term and high alcohol intake. In other words, DT is a very severe form of alcohol withdrawal that is both potentially life-threatening and particularly resource-intensive.
At the same time, little is known about the long-term consequences of DT for those who experience it, which is what the researchers behind the study aimed to investigate.
Kva er delirium tremens?
Delirium tremens (DT) er ein tilstand av forvirring som vert utløyst av alkoholabstinens hos personar etter høgt inntak av alkohol over tid. Det vil seie at det utviklar seg etter opphald, eller stor reduksjon, av tungt og langvarig alkoholinntak.
Tilstanden er kjenneteikna av skjelvingar, rastløyse, angst og hallusinasjonar.
DT inntreff ofte to til fire dagar etter siste alkoholinntak, og kan vare i fleire dagar (opp mot åtte dagar er observert).
Ein trur at søvnmangel kan være ein viktig årsak.
DT finst hos ein liten del av pasientar med alkoholavhengnad (3—15 %).
Kjelder:
Store norske leksikon
Jørgen G. Bramness, Ina H. Heiberg, Anne Høye og Ingeborg Rossow. Wiley Online Library, published online 19 July 2023. Mortality and alcohol-related morbidity in patients with delirium tremens, alcohol withdrawal state or alcohol dependence in Norway: A register-based prospective cohort study
Comparison of three groups
To learn more about the long-term effects, the researchers compared three groups of people. The first group consisted of those who had experienced DT. The second group included those who went through alcohol withdrawal after stopping drinking alcohol. The third group comprised individuals who still had alcohol dependence but without DT or alcohol withdrawal.
The researchers found that the group who had experienced DT had a higher risk of early death compared to the other two groups. Annual mortality was higher among DT patients (8%), compared to patients with alcohol withdrawal (5%) and patients with alcohol dependence (3.6%).
— Dette er ei svært høg årleg dødelegheit og høgare enn det vi ser til dømes for dei som er avhengig av opioid.
Experiencing more accidents and health problems
The research also showed that people who had experienced DT had a greater risk of dying from various causes, such as accidents, than the other groups.
The group who had experienced DT also had more health problems than the other two groups, which may indicate that they were sicker due to their drinking.
— Is it the delirium tremens episode itself that is fatal, or are there situations one might find themselves in that cause death?
— DT is in itself a very serious and deadly condition, with a mortality rate of up to 35 per cent when untreated. With appropriate treatment, the mortality rate in the acute phase is significantly lower, perhaps down to one per cent. The general mortality in the years following a DT episode arises from other factors, such as physical illness and accidents, says Jørgen Bramness.
Increases the risk of dementia and neurological diseases
He emphasises that DT is a very serious condition that can have consequences beyond the duration of the illness. It is particularly noted that it increases the risk of dementia and other neurological diseases.
— What would you say is the most important finding in the study that professionals/healthcare personnel should take note of?
— The most important lesson we can draw from the investigation is that DT is a very serious illness. It is crucial to treat it properly, and we must also follow up with patients who have experienced the condition in the time afterwards, as it turns out they may have other serious illnesses that need to be monitored, explains Jørgen Bramness.
You can read the entire research article here.