Alcohol withdrawal syndrome can occur to an alcoholic (one who is addicted to alcohol) in reaction to the discontinued use of alcohol. Withdrawal symptoms can be quite extreme, and can even result in death.
Alcohol triggers the release of the neurotransmitterdopamine in a person's brain. This chemical acts mainly as a neurological stimulant but is depleted once the intoxicant wears off, and, thus creates dependency. The extreme depletion of this neurotransmitter in the brain of sober alcoholics causes them to seek alcohol in order to replenish the amount of dopamine in their brains.
As tolerance to alcohol escalates, the normal neurobiological response is to overcompensate for the presence of alcohol and maintain homeostasis.
Predictors of alcoholwithdrawal complications are the duration of alcohol consumption, the total number of prior alcohol detoxifications, and previous withdrawal-related seizures and episodes.
The challenge to treat an alcoholwithdrawal patient with a comorbid medical illness is illustrated by the case of a patient with both AWS and a coronary artery disease.
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