title: Ethanol elimination-rates determined by breath analysis as a marker of recent excessive ethanol consumption.
abstract: The rate of ethanol elimination was studied in two groups of men by means of an Alcotest 7010 breath analyser. The experimental group consisted of 15 skid-row alcoholics undergoing detoxification. Their median daily ethanol consumption was 211 (range 26-476) g pure ethanol during the last year. The control group was made up of 12 age-matched healthy social drinkers consuming 9 (range 4-23) g day-1 pure ethanol during the last year. The median ethanol elimination-rate in the elimination phase was 0.25 (range 0.13-0.31) g 1-1 h-1 during the detoxification period in the experimental group. This value was approximately 70% higher than in the control group (0.14(0.12-0.17) g 1-1 h-1). Some correlation was found between reported ethanol intake, and the calculated ethanol elimination-rate, as well as gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT), alanine amino transferase (ALAT), aspartate amino transferase (ASAT), glutamate dehydrogenase (GLDH), mean corpuscular volume (MCV) and HDL-cholesterol. Of these measures, ethanol elimination-rate showed highest sensitivity and efficiency for detection of ethanol consumption above the limit of 50 g per day.
authors: National Institute of Forensic Toxicology, Oslo, Norway.
authors: H
authors: H
authors: Olsen
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Sakshaug
authors: F
authors: F
authors: Duckert
authors: J H
authors: JH
authors: Strømme
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Mørland
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D000428:Alcohol Drinking; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000097:blood*; D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase / Q000097:blood; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases / Q000097:blood; D001944:Breath Tests / Q000379:methods*; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000097:blood; D003402:Creatine Kinase / Q000097:blood; D004909:Erythrocyte Indices; D000431:Ethanol / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D005969:Glutamate Dehydrogenase / Q000097:blood; D006703:Ill-Housed Persons; D006801:Humans; D008658:Inactivation, Metabolic; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D008076:Cholesterol, HDL; D000431:Ethanol; D005969:Glutamate Dehydrogenase; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases; D000410:Alanine Transaminase; D003402:Creatine Kinase; D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase