Modern methods in determining chronic alcohol abuse
According to the latest scientific research, there is no harmless, not to mention "useful", dose of alcohol. Regular intake of even a minimal dose of alcohol not only destroys the liver, but also contributes to the development of cancer, diabetes, hypertension and other deadly ailments.
In addition to harm to health, excessive alcohol consumption also leads to negative social consequences. Every third investigated crime is committed by persons under the influence of alcohol. Alcohol consumption significantly increases the risk of becoming a victim of crimes, including murder, beatings, sexual violence, theft. An increased mortality rate, a reduction in life expectancy, disability, reduced labor productivity, the cost of treating diseases associated with alcohol consumption, social benefits, damage from fires, traffic accidents, the cost of keeping prisoners and fighting crime and homelessness - alcohol is the cause of everything.
For the heads of enterprises, the maintenance of alcohol-abusing employees in the staff is also a big problem, significantly increasing the costs of the enterprise. These are industrial defects, violations of discipline, delays, absenteeism, frequent sick leave, premature disability, industrial injuries, and, as a result, a decrease in the reputation of the entire enterprise.
To understand that a person chronically abuses alcohol, we can determine in his blood the carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (or CDT) – a blood protein involved in the transport of iron. Normally, it contains from four to eight attached residues of sialic acids. It is "deficient", i.e. with a small amount of sialic acid residues or even deprived of them, that it becomes with a specific alcoholic liver lesion, or rather with regular daily consumption of more than 60 grams of ethanol (2-3 bottles of beer or 0.75 liters of wine per day) for 7-14 days. Two weeks after the cessation of alcohol consumption, the indicator normalizes.
Single doses of high doses of alcohol do not cause an increase in CDT.
The specificity of CDT for the diagnosis of chronic alcohol abuse is 80-90%, sensitivity is 60-70%.
The unique apparatus with which the analysis is carried out is impossible to deceive – if a person has been drinking, for example, 100 grams of vodka or a liter of beer a day all week, then the blood sample analyzer will definitely detect this abuse (according to the classification of the World Health Organization, use in such doses and with such frequency is "abuse with harmful to health consequences). To pass the test, you need to donate blood from a vein. The analysis requires about 5 milliliters of blood.
Laboratory confirmation of systematic alcohol consumption is required to detect hidden forms of alcoholism, identify people who chronically abuse alcohol in order to prevent them from driving vehicles, working at technogenically dangerous facilities. Often, this study is necessary for conducting a forensic medical examination, as well as for monitoring the quality of treatment of alcoholism patients and monitoring treatment.
The results of the study may be falsely positive for congenital glycosylation disorders, primary biliary cirrhosis, active chronic hepatitis, liver cell carcinoma, high iron deficiency. In such cases, additional confirmatory examinations are required.
CDT tests should be avoided in women during pregnancy.
Head of the Clinical and Diagnostic
the laboratory of GUZ "LOND"
Vetchinkina V.I
