Alcoholism and alcoholic liver injury: new diagnostic and prognostic tests.
Recently developed tests that measure levels of alpha-amino-n-butyric acid (AANB) and serum glutamic dehydrogenase (GDH) may improve screening for early detection of heavy drinking and liver injury, respectively. With these tests, a "three-level" approach to the problem is now possible: (1) detection of heavy drinking on the basis of a biochemical marker (such as AANB); (2) detection of liver injury (necrosis and inflammation) on the basis of serum liver tests (such as GDH); and (3) detection of alcoholics in whom cirrhosis is prone to develop by the screening of liver biopsy specimens for precirrhotic lesions (such as pericentral sclerosis).
D000437:Alcoholism / Q000175:diagnosis*; D000613:Aminobutyrates / Q000097:blood*; D000818:Animals; D005235:Fatty Liver, Alcoholic / Q000175:diagnosis; D005969:Glutamate Dehydrogenase / Q000097:blood*; D006519:Hepatitis, Alcoholic / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology; D008104:Liver Cirrhosis, Alcoholic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D011379:Prognosis; D013997:Time Factors
D000613:Aminobutyrates; D005969:Glutamate Dehydrogenase