Um. Schmitt et al., CARBOHYDRATE-DEFICIENT TRANSFERRIN IS NOT A USEFUL MARKER FOR THE DETECTION OF CHRONIC ALCOHOL-ABUSE, European journal of clinical investigation, 28(8), 1998, pp. 615-621
Citations number
28
Categorie Soggetti
Medicine, Research & Experimental","Medicine, General & Internal
Background The role of carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT) as a r
eliable marker for the detection of chronic alcohol abuse has been dis
cussed controversially. Methods Therefore, we investigated CDT in the
sera from 405 subjects with different alcohol intake. Besides healthy
control subjects (n = 42), inpatients and outpatients in a department
of gastroenterology (n=325) and patients admitted to a department of o
torhinolaryngology (n=38) were studied. A total of 213 patients suffer
ed from various forms of liver diseases, and 89 patients had liver tra
nsplantation. CDT values were determined by a double-antibody radioimm
unoassay. Results In the 241 alcohol-abstinent subjects, CDT levels ra
nged from 3 to 90 units L-1 (median = 12); the 92 moderate drinkers (2
0-60 g of alcohol per day) showed values from 3 to 40 units L-1 (media
n = 12), and the 72 subjects with chronic alcohol abuse (> 60 g per da
y) revealed CDT levels from 3 to 100 units L-1 (median = 16). The diag
nostic specificity for alcohol abuse was 86.8% for men (sensitivity 36
.9%) and 95% for women (sensitivity 0%). Conclusion Our data indicate
that measurement of CDT does not reach clinical use in the detection o
f chronic alcohol abuse in an unselected population because of its ins
ufficient specificity and sensitivity.