[The behavior of gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase and other liver enzymes in the plasma during alcohol withdrawal treatments].

90 chronic alcoholics (55 men and 35 women, aged between 20 and 60 years) were investigated to determine how alcohol withdrawal effects the pattern of enzymes in plasma and if changes in this enzyme pattern could be used as criteria for evaluation of the recovery process. Among the different enzymes tested, gamma-glutamyl-transpeptidase (GGTP) and the transamines seemed the most suitable parameters. At the beginning of the alcohol withdrawal course, 79 out of 90 patients (80%) showed elevated values of one of these enzymes in plasma. GOT was elevated in 31 (34%), GPT in 24 (23%) and GGTP in 79 (88%) of the cases. In 49 patients (54%) GGTP was the only enzyme found to be elevated. The values of GGTP were on the average higher than those of GOT and GPT. GGTP has thereforeto be regarded as the most sensitive enzyme since it was elevated in most of the patients. GGTP reacted with 6.8 times more sensitivity than GOT and 6.3 times that of GPT. After withdrawal of alcohol the three enzymes showed a decline in all 79 patients. The transaminases normalized faster than GGTP. GTP fell into the upper normal limit after only 30 days. Among the 90 alcoholics examined, 14 relapsed during the alcohol withdrawal course. After the new excess of alcohol intake, the GGTP in plasma rose immediately. Alcohol abuse was suspected in 50% of the patients due to the increase in this enzyme and was subsequently confirmed by the patients. Acute alcohol loading in normal volunteers did not lead to an increase in GGTP activity. A comparison of the histology of liver biopsy material showed that neither the transaminases nor the alkaline phosphatase and GGTP served to differentiate the various forms of alcoholic liver damage. However, GGTP represents the most sensitive enzymatic parameter for the detection of alcoholic liver disease. This enzyme is useful in evaluating the success of a course of alcohol deprivation. The decreasing values during such treatment, as well as the prompt increase after a relapse, points to the high sensitivity of this enzyme. A further argument is that in 54% of the patients elevation of GGTP only was present. Since no liver damage could be demonstrated in these patients with the aid of the other liver enzymes, the elevation of GGTP may be related to the alcohol intake through an enzyme induction mechanism such as has been demonstrated for this enzyme with certain drugs.