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Phosphatidylethanol in Comparison to Self‐Reported Alcohol Consumption Among HIV‐Infected Women in a Randomized Controlled Trial of Naltrexone for Reducing Hazardous Drinking
Author(s) -
Wang Yan,
Chen Xinguang,
Hahn Judith A.,
Brumback Babette,
Zhou Zhi,
Miguez Maria J.,
Cook Robert L.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
alcoholism: clinical and experimental research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.267
H-Index - 153
eISSN - 1530-0277
pISSN - 0145-6008
DOI - 10.1111/acer.13540
Subject(s) - phosphatidylethanol , naltrexone , randomized controlled trial , alcohol consumption , medicine , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , alcohol , environmental health , virology , phospholipid , biochemistry , chemistry , receptor , membrane , phosphatidylcholine , opioid , genetics , biology
Background Biomarkers can play a key role in supplementing self‐report information in alcohol research. In this study, we examined phosphatidylethanol (PEth) in comparison with self‐reported alcohol use over time in a randomized controlled trial. Methods Participants were women living with HIV enrolled in a randomized placebo‐controlled trial of naltrexone for reducing hazardous drinking. Drinking behavior was measured using Timeline Followback (TLFB), and PEth as a biomarker using dried blood spots. Data collected at baseline, and months 2 and 7 were analyzed. In addition to calculated Spearman's correlations, mixed‐effects modeling was used to evaluate the changes in self‐reported drinking and PEth, respectively, adjusting for body mass index (BMI). Results A total of 194 participants (83% black, mean age 48) were included in the analysis. PEth levels were significantly correlated with self‐reported drinking via TLFB, Spearman's r = 0.21 at baseline, r = 0.29 at 2 months, and r = 0.28 at 7 months, respectively. No demographic or health factors, except for BMI, was associated with whether self‐report was consistent with PEth. Mixed‐effects model indicated that self‐reported drinking showed significantly greater reductions in the naltrexone treatment group than the placebo group at the 2‐ and 7‐month visits, whereas PEth measure only showed this difference at the 7‐month follow‐up. Conclusions The magnitude of the correlation between PEth and self‐reported alcohol consumption was small. Caution is needed when using either self‐report or PEth as a sole outcome measure for alcohol behavior changes in clinical trials.