Pathology - Alcohol Withdrawal Seizures

Pathology - Alcohol Withdrawal Seizures 
Pathophysiology 
These seizures usually happen six to forty-eight hours after abruptly stopping alcohol use following heavy and sustained consumption. Downregulation of gamma-aminobutyric acid A (GABAA) receptors and overexpression of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors in the central nervous system cause seizures. Patients typically arrive with widespread tonic-clonic seizures. Additions to the symptoms of alcohol withdrawal syndrome include anxiety, agitation, delirium tremens, and hallucinations.
A patient who presents with delirium or seizures two days after being admitted to the hospital is not uncommon. Benzodiazepines (BZDs) are used to treat seizures and stop them from happening again. GABA is potentiated by BZDs by increasing the frequency of chloride ion channel opening.
Barbiturates function similarly, but they vary in that they prolong the opening of chloride ion channels; yet, the use of barbiturates has been limited due to the substantial danger of fatal respiratory depression.