What is measured when we identify alcoholics by means of blood tests?
Positive results have been reported on discriminating between alcoholic and nonalcoholic patients by means of multivariate analysis of blood chemistry. If such tests simply measure accumulated results of excessive drinking, the measured effect would increase with years of severe drinking. Data from records of 460 alcoholics, however, found little or no relationship. The authors suggest the possibility that the blood chemistry results may measure a constitutional vulnerability to alcoholism.
Evenson
R C
RC
Department of Psychiatry, University of Missouri-Columbia, Missouri institute of Psychiatry, St. Louis 63139.
Frankel
M F
MF
Freedland
K E
KE
D000328:Adult; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics; D005819:Genetic Markers; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male
D005819:Genetic Markers