CARBOHYDRATE-DEFICIENT TRANSFERRIN (CDT) IN ALCOHOLIC CIRRHOSIS - A KINETIC-STUDY

Background/Aims: Carbohydrate deficient transferrin has been introduce d as a marker of excessive alcohol intake, The present study was under taken in order to measure the circulating level of carbohydrate defici ent transferrin in patients with alcoholic cirrhosis and to assess art eriovenous kinetics of carbohydrate deficient transferrin in liver and kidney. Methods/Results: The median value of serum carbohydrate defic ient transferrin was 16.0 U/l in patients with alcoholic cirrhosis (n= 41), and this value was not significantly different from that of a nor mal control group (median 17.4 U/l, n=55, ns), Carbohydrate deficient transferrin was significantly higher in patients with cirrhosis and hi gh current alcohol intake than in abstaining patients (20 vs. 14 U/l, p<0.05). Similarly, controls with a high current alcohol intake (>50 g /day) had a significantly higher carbohydrate deficient transferrin co ncentration than controls with a low alcohol intake (<10 g/day) (36 vs , 14.9 U/l, p<0.005). No significant differences were detected between carbohydrate deficient transferrin in artery and liver vein or artery and renal vein, either in patients with alcoholic cirrhosis (n=11) or in controls (n=8), which indicates a slow turnover rate of carbohydra te deficient transferrin, Food ingestion did not affect the circulatin g level of carbohydrate deficient transferrin, and the analysis of car bohydrate deficient transferrin was almost unaffected by the presence of ethanol in plasma within the biological range (ethanol 0-100 mmol/l ). Conclusions: Our results suggest that measurement of carbohydrate d eficient transferrin may be used in patients with alcoholic cirrhosis. High current alcohol intake is associated with higher carbohydrate de ficient transferrin levels than in those with low alcohol intake, but the overlap is substantial in patients with cirrhosis. Carbohydrate de ficient transferrin has a low turnover rate in both patients with cirr hosis and normals.