Treatment Of Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome: Dexmedetomidine Vs Diazepam In A Hospital O'horán

Plain-language summary

The cessation of alcohol consumption of people suffering from alcohol abuse frequently leads to the development of an alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS). The ethylic suppression syndrome is defined as the appearance of two or more data of autonomic hyperactivity, nausea, hallucinations and seizures associated with the cessation of alcohol consumption. For its evaluation, the CIWA-Ar scale is used, which guides the treatment based on benzodiazepines but with many adverse effects, so sedatives have been tried, among them dexmedetomidine, an alpha-agonist with action in the locus caeruleus, with variable results. Objectives: The investigators aimed to compare the DEX vs. Diazepam, for moderate disease, applying the CIWA-Ar scale, in participants with severe to moderate AWS. Methodology: 40 participants with CIWA-Ar greater than 10 points, the investigators are collected and randomized into two groups: one under treatment with diazepam (Group Diazepam) and another with dexmedetomidine (Group Dexmedetomidine), until the CIWA-Ar was reduced to less than 10, and adverse effects the investigators also reported. The analysis was done with student t. Results: The average duration of treatment with diazepam was 5.5 days (IC 95 = 6.6-3.8), the average duration of treatment with dexmedetomidine was 3.1 days (95% CI = 4.5-1.7), with a significant difference ( p = 0.0016). In the group with diazepam 60% presented adverse effects and in the group with dexmedetomidine 25% presented them, with a significant difference (p = 0.04). Conclusion: dexmedetomidine was superior to diazepam for the treatment of moderate-severe alcohol withdrawal with fewer adverse effects. KEY WORDS: Alcohol dependence · Alcohol withdrawal syndrome · Dexmedetomidine · Diazepam · Benzodiazepines

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