Alcohol Biomarkers in Clinical and Forensic Contexts
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Alcohol Biomarkers in Clinical and Forensic Contexts. / Andresen-Streichert, Hilke; Müller, Alexander; Glahn, Alexander; Skopp, Gisela; Sterneck, Martina.
in: DTSCH ARZTEBL INT, Jahrgang 115, Nr. 18, 04.05.2018, S. 309-315.Publikationen: SCORING: Beitrag in Fachzeitschrift/Zeitung › SCORING: Review › Forschung
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Alcohol Biomarkers in Clinical and Forensic Contexts
AU - Andresen-Streichert, Hilke
AU - Müller, Alexander
AU - Glahn, Alexander
AU - Skopp, Gisela
AU - Sterneck, Martina
PY - 2018/5/4
Y1 - 2018/5/4
N2 - BACKGROUND: Biomarkers of alcohol consumption are important not only in forensic contexts, e.g., in child custody proceedings or as documentation of alcohol abstinence after temporary confiscation of a driver's license. They are increasingly being used in clinical medicine as well for verification of abstinence or to rule out the harmful use of alcohol.METHODS: This review is based on pertinent publications that were retrieved by a selective literature search in PubMed concerning the direct and indirect alcohol markers discussed here, as well as on the authors' experience in laboratory analysis and clinical medicine.RESULTS: Alongside the direct demonstration of ethanol, the available markers of alcohol consumption include the classic indirect markers carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT), gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT), and mean corpuscular volume (MCV) as well as direct alcohol markers such as ethyl glucuronide (EtG) and ethyl sulfate (EtS) in serum and urine and EtG and fatty acid ethyl esters (FAEE) in hair. Phosphatidylethanol (PEth) is a promising parameter that com - plements the existing spectrum of tests with high specificity (48-89%) and sensi - tivity (88-100%). In routine clinical practice, the demonstration of positive alcohol markers often leads patients to admit previously denied alcohol use. This makes it possible to motivate the patient to undergo treatment for alcoholism.CONCLUSION: The available alcohol biomarkers vary in sensitivity and specificity with respect to the time period over which they indicate alcohol use and the minimum extent of alcohol use that they can detect. The appropriate marker or combination of markers should be chosen in each case according to the particular question that is to be answered by laboratory analysis.
AB - BACKGROUND: Biomarkers of alcohol consumption are important not only in forensic contexts, e.g., in child custody proceedings or as documentation of alcohol abstinence after temporary confiscation of a driver's license. They are increasingly being used in clinical medicine as well for verification of abstinence or to rule out the harmful use of alcohol.METHODS: This review is based on pertinent publications that were retrieved by a selective literature search in PubMed concerning the direct and indirect alcohol markers discussed here, as well as on the authors' experience in laboratory analysis and clinical medicine.RESULTS: Alongside the direct demonstration of ethanol, the available markers of alcohol consumption include the classic indirect markers carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT), gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT), and mean corpuscular volume (MCV) as well as direct alcohol markers such as ethyl glucuronide (EtG) and ethyl sulfate (EtS) in serum and urine and EtG and fatty acid ethyl esters (FAEE) in hair. Phosphatidylethanol (PEth) is a promising parameter that com - plements the existing spectrum of tests with high specificity (48-89%) and sensi - tivity (88-100%). In routine clinical practice, the demonstration of positive alcohol markers often leads patients to admit previously denied alcohol use. This makes it possible to motivate the patient to undergo treatment for alcoholism.CONCLUSION: The available alcohol biomarkers vary in sensitivity and specificity with respect to the time period over which they indicate alcohol use and the minimum extent of alcohol use that they can detect. The appropriate marker or combination of markers should be chosen in each case according to the particular question that is to be answered by laboratory analysis.
KW - Alcohol Drinking/blood
KW - Biomarkers/analysis
KW - Ethyl Ethers/analysis
KW - Forensic Sciences/methods
KW - Glucuronates/analysis
KW - Glycerophospholipids/analysis
KW - Hair/enzymology
KW - Humans
KW - Jurisprudence
KW - Middle Aged
KW - Sulfuric Acid Esters/analysis
KW - Time Factors
KW - Transferrin/analogs & derivatives
KW - Weights and Measures/standards
KW - gamma-Glutamyltransferase/analysis
U2 - 10.3238/arztebl.2018.0309
DO - 10.3238/arztebl.2018.0309
M3 - SCORING: Review article
C2 - 29807559
VL - 115
SP - 309
EP - 315
JO - DTSCH ARZTEBL INT
JF - DTSCH ARZTEBL INT
SN - 1866-0452
IS - 18
ER -
