The aim of this study was to compare the course of alcohol withdrawal (AW) syndromes in different age groups of hospitalized patients. Medical records of 892 patients treated for AW in Nowowiejski Hospital in Warsaw, Poland from 1973 to 1987 were reviewed using a structured questionnaire; a further 321 patients were observed on a prospective basis in the years 1990-1999. We compared severity of the symptoms and the course of AW episodes in five age groups: <30, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59 and > or =60 years old. Although the age groups did not differ in respect of gender, there were significant differences in other demographic variables, such as marital status, education, employment and number of households. We found a greater prevalence of somatic diseases and hypokalaemia in the older age groups. Older patients were hospitalized longer than the younger patients. The amount of alcohol consumed was significantly smaller in the older patients. No significant differences were found between age groups in the duration and severity of AW symptoms. All age groups required comparable doses of medication. The relationship between the duration of AW and the amount of alcohol consumed during the last drinking bout was significant in patients aged >50 years. There was also a significant positive correlation between the occurrence of withdrawal seizures or the severity of AW symptoms and the number of previous AW episodes in patients aged > or =40 years. Although the results did not confirm some previously reported differences in the course of AW between older and younger patients, they point to some new important differences in the conditions and course of AW in the elderly.