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Query: UMLS:C0036572 (seizures)
 80,221 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Alcoholic blackouts are among the most frequently reported symptoms in the progression of alcoholism. The exact etiology of blackouts remains unknown, but relationships to memory disturbance, seizure disorders, underlying psychiatric conditions, head trauma, and drug use have all been suggested. We studied 72 alcoholics admitted to an alcohol inpatient treatment program. Seventy-five percent of the patients had experienced blackouts. Patients who had had blackouts experienced other alcohol-related symptoms such as a need to drink upon awakening, alcohol cravings, tremors, and hallucinations more frequently and they were more likely to have had a past history of depression and to have been arrested for driving while intoxicated than alcoholics who had never experienced blackouts. No significant differences were observed between patients who had experienced blackouts and those who did not in mild to moderate memory disturbance, seizure disorder, a variety of psychiatric conditions, head trauma, or drug use. No significant differences were found between the two groups in most drinking history variables. The present study does not lend support to most hypotheses made about the etiology of alcoholic blackouts. Blackouts in alcoholics were significantly associated with other symptoms resulting from excessive alcohol use.
Am J Drug Alcohol Abuse 1985
PMID:Variables associated with alcoholic blackouts in men. 409 Nov 63

Drinking habits of 156 consecutive polyneuropathic and 106 consecutive pressure palsy patients were evaluated in retrospect. Respectively, 46 patients (30%) had alcohol polyneuropathy and 32 (30%) got pressure neuropathy while being drunk and these patients were analyzed in more detail. Most of the patients with alcoholic neuropathies were men, those with polyneuropathy being older than those having pressure palsies. Pressure neuropathy coincided with alcoholic polyneuropathy in 13 patients (28%). Other medical complication of heavy alcohol drinking (i.e. liver diseases, seizures and cerebellar signs) were seen in 54% of the patients with polyneuropathy and in 6% of the patients with pressure palsies. Heavy drinking prolonged the disability due to pressure palsy. The present study confirms the significant role of alcohol abuse in etiology of peripheral neuropathies. Heavy drinking seems to worsen the prognosis of these neuropathies.
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PMID:Drinking habits and peripheral alcoholic neuropathy. 627 9

Many drugs are used in alcoholism treatment with the aim of reducing alcohol consumption and correcting alcohol-related psychosocial problems that lead to excessive drinking or result from it. Alcohol-sensitising drugs are used to reduce alcohol consumption with the expectation that improvement in other problem areas will follow. Drugs that share sedative-hypnotic actions with and cross-dependence to alcohol are often used during acute alcohol withdrawal reactions for symptomatic relief, to prevent major withdrawal symptoms, and to prevent and treat seizures. Alcohol abuse may be a form of self-medication, and treatment of an underlying psychiatric disorder, such as depression (with antidepressants), anxiety (with anxiolytics) or psychosis (with antipsychotics), is expected to reduce alcohol consumption. Pretreatment medical and psychiatric assessment of the patient is necessary to ensure that the drug therapy is appropriate to the patient's therapeutic goals and medical/psychological status. Use of the drug must be systematic and carefully monitored; the duration of treatment is determined individually for each patient on the basis of the response to the treatment as well by the development of adverse clinical effects. Ideally, the drug therapy allows the patient to establish resources necessary for continued abstinence after the drug treatment is stopped.
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PMID:The role of drugs in the treatment of alcoholism. 636 6

This article concerns seizure disorders that occurred in the medical examiners' population of Metropolitan Dade County between 1978 and 1982. These accounted for 2% of the natural and accidental manners of death. The percentage of males was more frequent than females, with an equal proportion of blacks and whites. The age distribution was half under age 40 and half over age 40. Alcohol abuse was common, although alcohol was absent at time of autopsy in at least 42.5%. Brain pathology and absence of seizure medicine are also discussed.
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PMID:Seizure disorders. The Dade County experience from 1978 to 1982. 649 33

In 1979-80, 82 cases of grand mal status epilepticus (71 patients, 39 male and 32 female) were admitted to the Casualty Department of Meilahti University Hospital in Helsinki, Finland. The cause of the underlying epilepsy was symptomatic in 43 cases (52.4%) and idiopathic in 19 cases (23.2%). In 6 cases (7.3%), there was a history of alcohol withdrawal seizures, and in 14 cases (17.1%) there was no earlier history of convulsions. Status epilepticus was associated with an acute or progressive cerebral disorder in 14 episodes. These comprised 6 bouts of status with brain tumour, 4 with acute stroke and 4 with brain injury. Alcohol abuse preceded the status in 29 episodes (35.4%), 23 of which occurred in men (53.5% of the male cases). Excessive use of alcohol was the only obvious precipitating factor for status in 16 cases, and in 6 cases the status presented as a prolonged alcohol withdrawal seizure. A change or irregularity of anticonvulsive drug therapy could be documented in 14 cases and an acute infection outside the central nervous system in 7 cases. Intravenous diazepam, used as the only therapy for status epilepticus, was effective in 58 of 78 episodes. In 7 cases of prolonged status, a thiopental sodium anaesthesia proved effective. The total mortality was 4.2%, including 2 deaths from concomitant extracerebral disorders and one late death from brain metastasis.
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PMID:Status epilepticus and alcohol abuse: an analysis of 82 status epilepticus admissions. 651 94

Serial serum creatine kinase (CK) level determinations were performed on selected patients for six days following tonic-clonic or focal motor seizures in a prospective study. The time course and magnitude of serum CK elevation was correlated with seizure CK level was observed in all patients. Isoenzyme determinations revealed that CK was derived from skeletal muscle. Our data demonstrate that profound elevations of serum CK level may occur postictally and appear to be related to the intensity of muscular activity. patients with seizures associated with alcohol abuse had the greatest postictal serum CK level increases.
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PMID:Postictal elevation of serum creatine kinase level. 684 27

A survey of 100 consecutive admissions for alcohol abuse in 1990 highlights the severity of alcohol dependence in the East End of Glasgow. The survey identifies a specific sub-group of heavy drinkers who consume strong lager, usually in open spaces, referred to locally as 'garden parties'. In the total population, males outnumbered females 3:1 with a mean consumption of 268 and 230 units of alcohol per week, respectively. The severity of alcohol abuse was reflected in their social, physical and central nervous system complications. Two-thirds of the population had a family history of alcohol abuse. Over three-quarters of the population showed self neglect with nearly half the males ascribing their marital breakdown or family neglect directly to their drinking problem. Both sexes showed a high prevalence of history of paraesthesiae, while half the male population had clear signs of peripheral neuropathy on admission. A history of delirium tremens in over 50% of the population with a history of seizures in 21% of males and 35% of females indicates central nervous system involvement. Three sub-groups were identified: history of delirium tremens, history of persecutory ideation and history of serious criminality. All three sub-groups had a shorter length of drinking with higher consumption and increased frequency of 'garden parties' than the group as a whole. This survey reinforces the need for appropriate in-patient detoxification and rehabilitation facilities for patients with severe alcohol dependence, to reduce their impact on other health, social work and criminal justice services.
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PMID:Severity of alcohol dependence in the East End of Glasgow. 774 78

The purpose of this study was to evaluate adult first seizures in an emergency department by analyzing etiologic and epidemiological data and studying the usefulness of biological screening, electroencephalogram (EEG), and cerebral computed tomography (CT) scan. This was a retrospective study of a 3-year period during which 247 patients were admitted to an emergency department for a first generalized seizure. A CT scan had been performed in 247 patients and an EEG in 209. Etiologies were found to be (1) unknown, (2) alcohol abuse, (3) stroke, and (4) tumor. Early recurrence rate was 18.5%. EEG was of low interest in emergency. The rate of cerebral focal lesions on CT scan was significantly lower when both examination results and EEG were normal. The rate of metabolic abnormalities was 4.9%. It was concluded that (1) a short hospitalization is advisable because of recurrences, (2) recurrence rate does not increase significantly in patients with focal cerebral lesion, (3) metabolic screening is necessary, and (4) CT scan will be an outpatient procedure for most patients.
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PMID:Adult first generalized seizure: etiology, biological tests, EEG, CT scan, in an ED. 783 26

During a five year period (1988-1992) 70 cases of seizures were collected by the Adverse Drug Reaction Monitoring Center of Clermont-Ferrand (3.58% of total collected cases). 31 cases (22 M and 9 F) occurred after a drug withdrawal. Benzodiazepines--either alone or in association--were the most often involved. Mean age was 48.8 +/- 2.6 years in this group and additional factors (alcohol abuse and/or association of drugs that lower the seizure threshold) were associated in 26 cases. 39 cases (14 M and 25 F) occurred on the course of various treatments. The most frequently involved drugs were neuropsychiatric, antiinfectious (especially beta-lactam antibiotics, fluorquinolones and isoniazid) and theophylline. Mean age was 56.5 +/- 3.8 years and additional different factors (high dosages, antecedents of epilepsy, underlying diseases) were present in 22 observations.
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PMID:[During the treatment or after... drug-induced convulsive accidents. Apropos of 70 cases]. 785 60

Panic disorder (PD) is a common psychiatric illness, which has many complications such as major depression, increased suicide risk, agoraphobic avoidance behaviour, alcohol abuse and dependence. A number of studies have now documented increased rates of anxiety disorders among alcoholics and of alcoholism among patients presenting with anxiety disorders. In general, it appears that PD is more prevalent in alcoholics than would be expected on the basis of general population rates. Alcohol withdrawal is clearly associated with severe anxiety symptoms. It is suggested that repeated withdrawal episodes may trigger panic through a kindling process by causing subconvulsive stimuli with increasing amounts of electrical excitability or even spontaneous seizures. Serotonergic medications are effective in treating PD and depression. They also diminish interest in drinking in ethanol-dependent patients. Serotonergic agents can also affect conditioning and learning as well as behavioral control and self-administration. The treatment of panic patients with depressive and alcohol problems usually requires long-term treatment.
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PMID:Alcohol and depression in panic disorder. 791 95


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