Alcohol withdrawal.

E F McElmeel; P Di Dente

PubMed · 7354950

Alcohol withdrawal.

Abstract

Nurses involved in primary health care are called upon to assess the patient who may present with signs and symptoms of the alcohol withdrawal syndrome. The purposes of this article are to define the alcohol withdrawal syndrome in terms of its two major phases, to review the underlying pathophysiology of the clinical manifestations, to describe conditions and influences which complicate and/or aggravate the syndrome, and to provide the reader with a rational approach to assessment of a patient in acute alcohol withdrawal. The rationale for general treatment measures is briefly discussed.

Explore related subjects

Alcoholism Humans Nursing Assessment Substance Withdrawal Syndrome Journal Article

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeX RIS

E F McElmeel, P Di Dente. Alcohol withdrawal.. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7354950/

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related citations

PubMed2007

How does alcohol impair neuronal migration?

Maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy can cause serious birth defects, of which fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is the most devastating. Recognized by characteristic craniofacial abnormalities and growth deficiency, this condition produces severe alcohol-induced damage in the developing brain. FAS children experience ataxia; deficits in intellectual functioning; and difficulties in learning, memory, problem solving, and attention. Multiple aspects of central nervous system development can be affected by alcohol exposure, but the most striking abnormalities are neuronal and glial migration. Little is known about cellular mechanisms by which alcohol affects the migration of immature neurons. Recently, it has been found that Ca(2+) signaling and cyclic nucleotide signaling are the central targets of the action of alcohol in neuronal cell migration. Most importantly, the aberrant migration of immature neurons caused by alcohol exposure is significantly ameliorated by controlling the activity of these second-messenger pathways. In this Mini-Review, we first describe how alcohol exposure impairs the migration of cerebellar granule cells and then discuss the signaling mechanisms involved.

Alcoholism↗

PubMed2007

The serotonin transporter gene and alcoholism: the two pathways to suicidal behavior.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Alcoholism↗

PubMed2007

The alcoholic lung: epidemiology, pathophysiology, and potential therapies.

Epidemiological evidence gathered only in the past decade reveals that alcohol abuse independently increases the risk of developing the acute respiratory distress syndrome by as much as three- to fourfold. Experimental models and clinical studies are beginning to elucidate the mechanisms underlying this previously unrecognized association and are revealing for the first time that chronic alcohol abuse causes discrete changes, particularly within the alveolar epithelium, that render the lung susceptible to acute edematous injury in response to sepsis, trauma, and other inflammatory insults. Recent studies in relevant animal models as well as in human subjects are identifying common mechanisms by which alcohol abuse targets both the alveolar epithelium and the alveolar macrophage, such that the risks for acute lung injury and pulmonary infections are inextricably linked. Specifically, chronic alcohol ingestion decreases the levels of the antioxidant glutathione within the alveolar space by as much as 80-90%, and, as a consequence, impairs alveolar epithelial surfactant production and barrier integrity, decreases alveolar macrophage function, and renders the lung susceptible to oxidant-mediated injury. These changes are often subclinical and may not manifest as detectable lung impairment until challenged by an acute insult such as sepsis or trauma. However, even otherwise healthy alcoholics have evidence of severe oxidant stress in the alveolar space that correlates with alveolar epithelial and macrophage dysfunction. This review focuses on the epidemiology and the pathophysiology of alcohol-induced lung dysfunction and discusses potential new treatments suggested by recent experimental findings.

Alcoholism↗