BACKGROUND: Serum levels of total HDL cholesterol (HDL) are reportedly influenced by recent alcohol intake. We examined the correlation between HDL cholesterol and widely used markers of excessive alcohol intake, such as carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT), gamma-glutamyl-transferase (GGT), or mean corpuscular volume of erythrocytes (MCV), of which CDT is thought to be the most specific. METHODS: Several serological markers [i.e., CDT, GGT, aspartate aminotransferase (ASAT), alanine aminotransferase (ALAT), MCV, and HDL] were determined in 100 actively drinking male patients with alcohol dependence (DSM-IV) and in 27 non-alcohol-dependent controls, according to routine procedures. Spearman's rank correlation coefficients were calculated. RESULTS: We found a highly significant positive correlation between HDL and CDT (r(s) = 0.55; p < 0.0005) in patients, but not in controls (r(s) = 0.13;p = 0.51). HDL was also positively correlated with GGT, ALAT, ASAT, and MCV only in patients. CONCLUSIONS: HDL cholesterol, as a widely determined parameter, may represent a useful routine marker for recent excessive alcohol intake. High HDL cholesterol levels should alert clinicians to investigate a patient's recent pattern of alcohol consumption.
BACKGROUND: Serum levels of total HDL cholesterol (HDL) are reportedly influenced by recent alcohol intake. We examined the correlation between HDL cholesterol and widely used markers of excessive alcohol intake, such as carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT), gamma-glutamyl-transferase (GGT), or mean corpuscular volume of erythrocytes (MCV), of which CDT is thought to be the most specific. METHODS: Several serological markers [i.e., CDT, GGT, aspartate aminotransferase (ASAT), alanine aminotransferase (ALAT), MCV, and HDL] were determined in 100 actively drinking male patients with alcohol dependence (DSM-IV) and in 27 non-alcohol-dependent controls, according to routine procedures. Spearman's rank correlation coefficients were calculated. RESULTS: We found a highly significant positive correlation between HDL and CDT (r(s) = 0.55; p < 0.0005) in patients, but not in controls (r(s) = 0.13;p = 0.51). HDL was also positively correlated with GGT, ALAT, ASAT, and MCV only in patients. CONCLUSIONS: HDL cholesterol, as a widely determined parameter, may represent a useful routine marker for recent excessive alcohol intake. High HDL cholesterol levels should alert clinicians to investigate a patient's recent pattern of alcohol consumption.
Authors: Kevin J Fagan; Katharine M Irvine; Brett C McWhinney; Linda M Fletcher; Leigh U Horsfall; Lambro Johnson; Peter O'Rourke; Jennifer Martin; Ian Scott; Carel J Pretorius; Jacobus P J Ungerer; Elizabeth E Powell Journal: BMC Gastroenterol Date: 2014-05-22 Impact factor: 3.067