Alcohol disease and withdrawal Flashcards
At what time frame does withdrawal from mild dependence occur?
12 to 36 hours
What are the symptoms of withdrawal from mild dependance?
Fine tremors, sweating, anxiety, hyperactivity, tachycardia, hypertension, nausea and retching
What is the time frame of withdrawal from moderate alcohol dependence?
12 hours to 5 days
What are the symptoms of withdrawal from moderate dependence?
Coarse tremors, shaking, agitation, confusion, disorientation, paranoia, seizures and hallucinations
When are seizures from alcohol withdrawal worse?
24-48 hours since the last alcoholic drink
What is the time frame of withdrawal from severe alcohol dependence?
12 hours to 7 days
What are the symptoms of withdrawal from severe dependence?
Severe agitation, anxiety, confusion, delusions, tactile visual hallucinations
When is the risk of DTs?
Usually around 48 hours post last drink
What is the normal pattern of a seizure by alcohol withdrawal?
Tonic clonic
What dangerous condition can tonic clonic seizures from alcohol withdrawal develop into?
Status epilepticus
Glove and stocking refers to what conditon
Sensorimotor axonal polyneuropathy
What is saturday night palsy?
Compression neuropathy is the temporary damage to the myelin sheath
Where is the common site for compression neuropathy?
Radial nerve at the humeral head
What is the ck in acute myopathy (after a binge)?
Raised
What happen in blood results for chronic myopathy due to alcohol?
Normal ck
Low K
Low PO4
What causes Wernickes encephalopathy?
Thiamine deficiency
Cytotoxic oedema in mamillary bodies
What 3 symptoms are most associated with Wernickes encephalopathy?
Lateral nystagmus progressing to complete opthalmoparesis
Ataxic gait
Acute confusion
What is the treatment of Wernickes encephalopathy?
Thiamine replacement
Banana bag/rally pack
What cause korsakoff syndrome?
Cerebral atrophy resulting from Wernickes encephalopathy
What 3 symptoms are most associated with korsakoff syndrome?
Anterograde amnesia
Retrograde amnesia
Confabulation
What is the suspected amount of alcohol over what time frame to cause dilated cardiomyopathy?
8-9 units daily for 5+ years
How does alcohol cause dilated cardiomyopathy?
Alcohol impairs the ventricular function which leads to chronic inflammation and fibrosis of myofibrils
What type of arrhythmia is holiday heart?
SVT
What ECG change can be seem most commonly in chronic alcoholics?
Long QT