Engelsk titel: Biomarkers can detect early-stage alcohol problems
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Författare:
Helander, Anders
Email: anders.helander@ki.se
Språk: Swe
Antal referenser: 20
Dokumenttyp:
Översikt
UI-nummer: 11111243
Sammanfattning
Because many people deny alcohol ingestion or underreport the amount they consume, identifying early-stage alcohol-related problems is often a difficult task. A number of sensitive and specific biomarkers are available for detection of recent drinking or chronic excessive use. Determination of ethyl glucuronide (EtG) and ethyl sulfate (EtS) in urine can confirm abstinence and detect recent drinking for hours to days longer than by breath alcohol testing. For detection of sustained riskful drinking, measurement of carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT) in serum and phosphatidylethanol (PEth) in whole blood are useful methods. Furthermore, by combining short-term and long-term alcohol biomarkers, a very detailed picture of the individual drinking habits can be obtained. This analytical strategy has proven useful to confirm or rule out chronic heavy drinking, in a number of clinical and medico-legal cases.