Huffmann G, Becker T
Acta Psychiatr Scand Suppl. 1986;329:136-9. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0447.1986.tb10550.x.
Following the introduction of chlormethiazole for the treatment of delirium tremens a striking reduction in the death rate occurred. The mortality range in most statistics is 1-4%. The patient's age and complications concerning various internal organs affect the clinical outcome and so does the time at which chlormethiazole treatment is initiated. However, this has given rise to the habit of prescribing chlormethiazole at the slightest suspicion of the early stages of delirium tremens. In some cases the use of the drug was no doubt unnecessary, but equally certainly this measure has often prevented the development of complete delirium tremens which is now seen far more rarely than it was 20 years ago. The availability of this well-tolerated and easily controllable drug has made the treatment of most cases of delirium tremens a manageable task for any reasonably experienced physician. However, it should never be forgotten that delirium tremens is a life-threatening condition with many potential complications. Therefore, the initiation of any chlormethiazole therapy calls for careful monitoring by the physician.
在引入氯美噻唑治疗震颤谵妄后，死亡率显著降低。大多数统计数据中的死亡率范围为1%-4%。患者的年龄以及涉及各种内脏器官的并发症会影响临床结果，开始氯美噻唑治疗的时间也会产生影响。然而，这导致了一种习惯，即在稍有震颤谵妄早期迹象的怀疑时就开具氯美噻唑。在某些情况下，药物的使用无疑是不必要的，但同样可以肯定的是，这一措施常常预防了完全性震颤谵妄的发展，如今完全性震颤谵妄的出现比20年前要少见得多。这种耐受性良好且易于控制的药物的可得性，使得对大多数震颤谵妄病例的治疗成为任何有一定经验的医生都能应对的任务。然而，绝不能忘记震颤谵妄是一种有许多潜在并发症的危及生命的病症。因此，任何氯美噻唑治疗的开始都需要医生进行仔细监测。
