Up to now, clinical predictors for the course of the alcohol withdrawa
l syndrome, especially for the occurrence of a delirium, are lacking.
Thus, this study was undertaken to examine whether clinical routine in
vestigations at admission before the withdrawal syndrome can reveal fa
ctors indicating a higher risk for the development of a delirium. Our
results showed that decreased serum electrolyte concentrations (i.e.,
chloride and potassium), elevated ALT, and gamma-glutamyltransferase s
erum levels, as well as ataxia and polyneuropathy at the neurological
examination, indicate a higher risk for the development of an alcohol
withdrawal delirium.