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CDT by Anion‐Exchange Chromatography Followed by RIA as a Marker of Heavy Drinking Among Men
Author(s) -
Sillanaukee Pekka,
Seppä Kaija,
Löf Kari,
Koivula Timo
Publication year - 1993
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/j.1530-0277.1993.tb00754.x
Subject(s) - carbohydrate deficient transferrin , heavy drinking , alcohol consumption , medicine , transferrin , chronic alcoholism , excessive alcohol consumption , population , alcohol , gastroenterology , chemistry , environmental health , biochemistry
Carbohydrate‐deficient transferrin, CDT, had previously been reported to be an excellent marker for alcoholism. The present population‐based study examined the diagnostic value of CDT among consecutive middle‐aged males including 122 social drinkers (mean alcohol consumption 88 ± 79 g per week) and 77 non‐alcoholic heavy drinkers (301 ± 195 g/wk). Ninety‐six men with a well‐documented history of chronic alcoholism (≥1000 g/wk) were used as a reference group. The CDT (containing mainly isotransferrin with pl = 5.8 and 5.9) was separated by anion exchange chromatography and assayed by RIA. The CDT values of social drinkers (mean ± SD = 14 ± 5 U/I) were significantly lower than those of heavy drinkers (19 ± 13 U/I, p < 0.01) and alcoholics (34 ± 18 U/I, p < 0.001). In the whole material CDT correlated positively with alcohol consumption ( r = 0.53, p < 0.001). At a specificity of 91.8%, CDT found 28.6% of the heavy drinkers and 79.2% of the alcoholics; the best traditional marker, GGT, with a specificity of 86.9%, found 35.1% and 64.6%, respectively. In conclusion, CDT is a specific marker, which is superior to traditional markers for identifying alcoholics. Unfortunately, it does not seem to provide additional power for identifying the important group, non‐alcoholic heavy drinkers.