In the present paper we deal with delirium tremens – the life threatening complication of alcohol withdrawal syndrome. The aim of our study was to analyze the potential risk factors and predictors of alcohol withdrawal delirium (AWD) in patients hospitalized for alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS).We have performed a retrospective study in patients hospitalized for AWS at the Department of Psychiatry MSCU within 2010 & 2011, using their printed documentation and electronic records. In sample of 165 inpatients with AWS we have identified 45 patients that underwent AWD during their hospitalization (30 patients were admitted with AWD and 15 patients developed AWD during their hospitalization). Patients that suffered from AWD had higher AST & GMT levels and lower potassium levels (at admission), higher benzodiazepine and antipsychotic treatment levels (during the first 24 hours of hospitalization), more frequent antibiotic therapy (anytime during hospitalization), their hospitalizations were longer and they were more frequently discharged to somatic departments than patients with noncomplicated AWS. The confirmation of causality consequences would request a prospective study.

Key words: alcohol withdrawal syndrome – alcohol withdrawal delirium – risk factors – predictors