CARBOHYDRATE-DEFICIENT TRANSFERRIN AND GAMMA-GLUTAMYL-TRANSFERASE LEVELS DURING DISULFIRAM THERAPY

Serum samples for quantification of carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT) and gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) were collected from alcoho l-dependent men and women upon admission to the hospital for detoxific ation, and repeatedly over a 3- to 5-week period of supervised disulfi ram administration as outpatients. On admission, 10 of 12 patients sho wed CDT concentrations above the conventional cutoff limits, whereas 6 had elevated GGT values. Normalization usually occurred within 1 to 3 weeks of disulfiram treatment, after which CDT and GGT leveled out at a relatively stable individual baseline level. However, in those pati ents with the highest values on admission, the decline continued durin g the entire observation period. The time for normalization of GGT was typically longer than for CDT. In four male patients who had taken di sulfiram regularly (400-800 mg every second or third day) for at least 3 months before entering the study, the CDT and GGT concentrations we re stable over time and all fell within normal limits. The present res ults indicate that disulfiram treatment does not influence the serum l evel of CDT. It is also suggested that consecutive CDT and GGT measure ments during outpatient treatment with disulfiram after detoxification can be used to identify the individual baseline (i.e., abstinence) va lues for CDT and GGT, and, furthermore, for monitoring treatment outco me.