title: Carbohydrate-deficient transferrin and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase in the evaluation of alcohol consumption. A five-year retrospective study of 633 outpatients in a single center.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Carbohydrate-deficient transferrin has been proposed to be useful in evaluating alcohol consumption but there is no consensus on its use in routine practice. The aim of this retrospective study was to compare carbohydrate-deficient transferrin and gammaglutamyl transpeptidase assays for the evaluation of alcohol consumption.
  
  
  METHODS
  Six hundred thirty-three outpatients attending one outpatient care center were included in this study. Patients were divided into five categories according to alcohol consumption: category 1 included non-weaned patients drinking more than 30 g/day for women and more than 50 g/day for men, category 2 included relapse patients, category 3 included moderate drinkers, category 4 included patients weaned less than one month, and category 5 included patients weaned more than one month. One experienced physician estimated alcohol intake from patient declarations during a face-to-face interview.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sensitivity of carbohydrate-deficient transferrin varied, depending on patient category, from 32% to 92% versus 41% to 72% for gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase. Specificity of carbohydrate-deficient transferrin varied from 71% to 96% versus 23% to 62% for gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase. After one month of abstinence, specificity of carbohydrate-deficient transferrin was 62% versus 19% for gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study confirms that carbohydrate-deficient transferrin is more accurate in predicting alcohol consumption compared with gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase in alcoholic outpatients.
authors.affiliation: Service d'Hépato-Gastroentérologie, Hôpital Trousseau, CHRU de Tours. b.godart@9online.fr
authors.forename: Bruno
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Godart
authors.forename: Louise
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mennetrey
authors.forename: François
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Schellenberg
authors.forename: Jean-Christophe
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Pages
authors.forename: Yannick
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Bacq
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000097:blood; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000097:blood*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors; D014168:Transferrin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000032:analysis*; D005723:gamma-Glutamyltransferase / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D014168:Transferrin; C056759:carbohydrate-deficient transferrin; D005723:gamma-Glutamyltransferase