Background
: Delirium tremens is alcoholic withdrawal symptom that developed with psychiatric disorder and epilepsy. Delirium tremens is prevalent in rural area of the country and social problem. There is psychiatric approach of the disease reported, but medical and biochemical approach is rare. Therefore we carried out this study to determine the relationship between medical, biochemical change and delirium tremens.

Methods : 55 delirium tremens cases, classified by DSM Ⅲ criteria were gathered during the period from April, 1985 to June, 1990. Data were analyzed on epidemiologic status such as withdrawal period, maintenance time, other withdrawal symptoms, laboratory exam, liver function change in epilepsy and mortality cases.

Results : There was no significant correlation between the duration of abstinence and severity of the diseases in DSM-Ⅲ classification. Most of patients presented with typical symptoms and signs of delirium tremens, the symptom of the disease were agitated behavior(95%), delusion, ALT over 100 IU/L was seen in 71% of the seizure patients. Severity of the disease was not related to mortality.

Conclusion : There was no laboratory marker of delirium tremens ; the increased ratio of ALT / AST and increase of r-GTP, which are frequently seen in alcoholic liver disease are thought to suggest the presence of delirium tremens.