Twenty-four hour ambulatory monitoring of tremor, sweating, skin temperature and locomotor activity in the alcohol withdrawal syndrome.

An ambulatory monitor has been used to determine the characteristic patterns of tremor, sweating, skin temperature and locomotor activity in subjects undergoing alcohol withdrawal. Twenty-four hour records were obtained from six male subjects who had been consuming an average of 345 g of alcohol per day prior to cessation and from a group of age-matched controls. Consistent with earlier research and clinical observation, tremor, sweating and locomotor activity were elevated in withdrawal subjects. Sweating was greatest in the period from approximately 00.00 h to 06.00 h, as was skin temperature. Tremor and activity levels decreased during this period, but were considerably higher in withdrawal subjects. The data suggest that 24-h monitoring of alcohol withdrawal using objective methods provides a more sensitive assessment technique than the standard clinical approaches. The technique may be of value in other dysautonomic states.