DANIELA IONESCU*, B.BUMBĂCILĂ**, CARMEN CRISTESCU***, RALUCA DUMACHE**, ELENA GÂLCĂ****, CORINA ŞERBAN*****, GERMAINE SĂVOIU*****, MARIA PUIU******
*Department of Toxicology, **Department of Biochemistry, ***Department of Clinical Pharmacy, ****Department of Psychiatry Lugoj, ****Department of Medical Genetics, ****Department of Pathophysiology, “Victor Babeş” University of Medicine and Pharmaceutics, Timişoara
Abstract. Carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT) represents an important instrument for the evaluation process of alcohol consumption. But there is not a consensus on its use in the routine practice. The objective of this study was to compare carbohydrate-deficient transferrin and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) assays for the evaluation of alcohol consumption. 165 patients (100 male and 65 female) were included in this study. Patients were divided into five categories according to alcohol consumption: category 1 included non-weaned patients drinking more than 30 g/day for women and more than 50 g/day for men, category 2 included relapse patients, category 3 included moderate drinkers, category 4 included patients weaned less than one month, and category 5 included patients weaned more than one month. A specifically standardized questionnaire was used. Blood samples were drawn at the alcohol-cure outpatient centre. Samples were drawn at the first consultation and later as prescribed depending on the clinical situation. Sensitivity of CDT varied, depending on patient category, from 36% to 96% versus 45% to 70% for GGT. Specificity of CDT varied from 72% to 90% versus 21% to 61% for GGT. This study shows that carbohydrate-deficient transferrin is more accurate in predicting alcohol consumption compared with gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase in alcoholic patients evaluation.
Key words: Carbohydrate-deficient transferrin, gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase, alcohol consumption, sensitivity, specificity.