Alcohol withdrawal physical examination

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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Shakiba Hassanzadeh, MD[2] Aditya Govindavarjhulla, M.B.B.S. [3]

Signs to consider in the physical examination of patients with alcohol withdrawal may include: anxiety, nausea, vomiting, tremors, autonomic hyperactivity (tachycardia, hypertension, and hyperthermia), hallucinations (auditory, visual, tactile, gustatory, and olfactory), delusions, confusion, seizure, and delirium tremens (DT).

Signs to consider in the physical examination of patients with alcohol withdrawal may include:^[1]

• Anxiety
• Nausea, vomiting
• Tremors
• Autonomic hyperactivity:
  • Tachycardia
  • Hypertension
  • Hyperthermia
• Hallucinations:
  • Auditory
  • Visual
  • Tactile
  • Gustatory
  • Olfactory
• Delusions
• Confusion
• Seizure
• Delirium tremens (DT)