Urinary Norepinephrine and Epinephrine Excretion in Delirium Tremens

Patients suffering from ethyl alcohol or drug addiction often display acute clinical syndromes after excessive use of alcohol or drugs even when these agents have disappeared from the blood. These syndromes include a wide spectrum of neurovegetative symptoms, the most frequent being tremor, hyperhidrosis, variations in blood pressure, pulse rate, body temperature and pupillary diameter. The excretion of epinephrine and norepinephrine has been shown to be increased by the action of alcohol in dogs by Klingman and Goodall1and in man by Perman2and Abelin, Herren and Berli.3It seemed of interest to investigate further the urinary excretion of these substances for possible alterations during the acute clinical syndromes following alcohol and drug abuse when alcohol or drug are no longer detectable in the blood. Alterations in the urinary excretion of catecholamines have been reported in mental patients by Bergsman,4Elmadjian, Hope