Obesity as a cause of "false-positive" alcohol misuse laboratory investigations.
Three patients are reported with a prior history of alcohol misuse accompanied by abnormal liver toxicity tests and other indices of alcohol misuse. A decreased but persistently raised serum gamma-glutamyl transferase activity during subsequent abstinence or controlled drinking was interpreted incorrectly as due to continued alcohol misuse whereas obesity-related fatty liver was the probable cause. The value of serum carbohydrate deficient transferrin assays in the differential diagnosis of abnormal liver toxicity tests is emphasized.
Department of Clinical Biochemistry, King's College, London and Kent Institute of Medicine and Health Science, University of Kent at Canterbury, UK.
T J
TJ
Peters
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CC
Cook
D000437:Alcoholism / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000201:enzymology; D002241:Carbohydrates / Q000097:blood / Q000172:deficiency; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D003951:Diagnostic Errors; D005189:False Positive Reactions; D005235:Fatty Liver, Alcoholic / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006529:Hepatomegaly / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology*; D014168:Transferrin / Q000378:metabolism; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood; D014463:Ultrasonography; D005723:gamma-Glutamyltransferase / Q000097:blood
D002241:Carbohydrates; D014168:Transferrin; D014280:Triglycerides; D002784:Cholesterol; D005723:gamma-Glutamyltransferase