BACKGROUND: Alcohol abuse is roughly twice as common as alcohol dependence. Subjects with alcohol problems are usually diagnosed only when medical complications are present. Therefore, both doctors and patients need a method for early diagnosis of alcohol abuse. METHODS: The mean corpuscular volume, gamma-glutamyl transferase, and carbohydrate-deficient transferrin in alcohol abusers, alcohol-dependent patients, and "nonalcohol hospital" individuals were compared. RESULTS: For objective diagnosis of alcohol abuse, we found a sensitivity of 24%, a specificity of 96%, and a global predictive value of 63% for mean corpuscular volume; a sensitivity of 42%, a specificity of 76%, and a global predictive value of 61% for gamma-glutamyl transferase; and a sensitivity of 67%, a specificity of 97%, and a global predictive value of 84% for carbohydrate-deficient transferrin. CONCLUSIONS: Carbohydrate-deficient transferrin proves to be the best marker of alcohol abuse. It allows objective detection so that therapeutic action can be started early, which is easier and more effective than in alcohol dependence.
BACKGROUND:Alcohol abuse is roughly twice as common as alcohol dependence. Subjects with alcohol problems are usually diagnosed only when medical complications are present. Therefore, both doctors and patients need a method for early diagnosis of alcohol abuse. METHODS: The mean corpuscular volume, gamma-glutamyl transferase, and carbohydrate-deficient transferrin in alcohol abusers, alcohol-dependent patients, and "nonalcohol hospital" individuals were compared. RESULTS: For objective diagnosis of alcohol abuse, we found a sensitivity of 24%, a specificity of 96%, and a global predictive value of 63% for mean corpuscular volume; a sensitivity of 42%, a specificity of 76%, and a global predictive value of 61% for gamma-glutamyl transferase; and a sensitivity of 67%, a specificity of 97%, and a global predictive value of 84% for carbohydrate-deficient transferrin. CONCLUSIONS:Carbohydrate-deficient transferrin proves to be the best marker of alcohol abuse. It allows objective detection so that therapeutic action can be started early, which is easier and more effective than in alcohol dependence.