Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Rare things seldom comes alone: Delerium Tremens after a phone call

I had a call today from Dinesh kumar Mishra , a Koshi Flood exert who lived at Jamshedpur . He asked me as to what what was delirium tremens. I told him that it is a delirious state in chronic alcoholics. He guessed some patient was near me but then I was alone.
No sooner the talk was completed, an old employee of SAIL came to me who was drunk- I was disgusted of smell. I warned him not to take any analgesic(as he might have already gastritis) and prescribed in staed an antacid for the placebo effect in his backacke.

I dialed again Mishrajee and informed him that an alcoholic had just visited.
I recalled what Dr. K.K.Sinha had taught me on two successive cases of rare Eerb’s palsy0”Rare things usually not come alone,” and here was a drunk after a talk of drunk.
Delerium tremens is not so uncommon. When I clicked Google- I found my psychiatrist colleague alredy had surfed it- there are some 1 lakh results on it(alcoholism is not so uncommon rather very very common) and Wikepedia says,”
Delirium tremens is an acute episode of delirium that is usually caused by withdrawal of alcohol, in individuals with a history of constant, long-term alcohol consumption,” and ; it is also caused by ,” withdrawal or abstinence from benzodiazepines or barbiturates (and other minor tranquilizers).” It has some 535 per cent mortality and early treatment with wiith benzodiazepines, etc is done in cases of acute ethanol withdrawal.

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