Alcohol withdrawal classification

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1] Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Shakiba Hassanzadeh, MD [2]

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Overview

Stages of Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome (AWS) may be classified as uncomplicated withdrawal (first 6 hours), alcohol hallucinosis (8-12 hours), alcohol withdrawal seizures (12-24 hours), and alcohol withdrawal delirium (24-72 hours).

Classification

Stages of Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome (AWS) may be classified as:^[1]


Stages of Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome (AWS)	Time of Onset	Symptoms
Uncomplicated Withdrawal	First 6 hours	Anxiety Nausea, vomiting Headache Insomnia Mild tremors Mild to moderate autonomic hyperactivity: Hypertension Hyperthermia Tachycardia
Alcohol Hallucinosis	8-12 hours	Hallucinations: Auditory Visual Tactile Gustatory Olfactory Paranoia Other delusions
Alcohol Withdrawal Seizures	12-24 hours	Generalized tonic-clonic seizures Multiple seizures (in clusters) Status epilepticus (3%)
Alcohol Withdrawal Delirium	24-72 hours	Confusion Alteration in consciousness Severe autonomic changes Persistent hallucinations

References

↑ Wolf C, Curry A, Nacht J, Simpson SA (2020). “Management of Alcohol Withdrawal in the Emergency Department: Current Perspectives”. Open Access Emerg Med. 12: 53–65. doi:10.2147/OAEM.S235288. PMC 7093658 Check |pmc= value (help). PMID 32256131 Check |pmid= value (help).

[pmid32256131-1] Wolf C, Curry A, Nacht J, Simpson SA (2020). “Management of Alcohol Withdrawal in the Emergency Department: Current Perspectives”. Open Access Emerg Med. 12: 53–65. doi:10.2147/OAEM.S235288. PMC 7093658 Check |pmc= value (help). PMID 32256131 Check |pmid= value (help).

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