Universitair Ziekenhuis Antwerpen, Department of Forensic Medicine, Drie Eikenstraat 655, 2650 Edegem, Belgium.
Toxicological Center, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Antwerp, Belgium.
Forensic Sci Int. 2022 Jun;335:111278. doi: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2022.111278. Epub 2022 Mar 19.
Excessive use of alcohol increases the risk to be involved in a road traffic accident. According to many legislations, certain maximal blood-alcohol-concentrations (BAC) have to be respected to be allowed to drive on public roads. Acute alcohol intoxication is evaluated by blood analysis or analysis of the exhaled alveolar air. In many cases, evaluation of the alcohol consumption during the past months can be useful. In this light, ethyl glucuronide (EtG), a direct alcohol biomarker which can be found in keratinized matrices (hair, nails) is valuable and can be used for the long-term follow-up of alcohol consumption.
To compare the EtG concentration in hair and fingernails from teetotalers, and to propose a cut-off value for EtG in fingernails for alcohol abstinence.
Paired samples of hair and nails were collected from participants, with a minimum age of 18 years. They all stated alcohol abstinence for at least 6 months. Participants were asked to complete a questionnaire about age, gender and the use of hair care products and nail polish. Analysis of EtG in the nail and hair samples were conducted following a validated analytical method.
From 126 participants a hair and nail sample were collected. Of this group, 15 participants were finally not included in the study because of insufficient amount of hair or nails collected. There were more female participants (65%) and the average age of participants was 39 years. The EtG concentration in hair was below the limit of detection of 2.1 pg/mg in all but 4 samples (2.1, 2.1, 2.9, and 3.5 pg/mg). The EtG concentration in nails was below the limit of detection in 97 of the 111 samples. The concentrations in nails ranged between 2.3 and 23 pg/mg.
In a population of 111 teetotalers, the 97.5% percentile of EtG concentrations in fingernails is 7.6 pg/mg. The highest EtG concentration observed was 23 pg/mg. These results suggest that the cut-off value for alcohol abstinence may be lower than the previous suggested 59 pg/mg and 37 pg/mg.
过量饮酒会增加发生道路交通事故的风险。根据许多法规，驾驶员在公共道路上行驶时必须遵守特定的最大血液酒精浓度（BAC）限制。急性酒精中毒通过血液分析或肺泡气分析来评估。在许多情况下，评估过去几个月的饮酒量可能会有所帮助。在这方面，乙基葡萄糖醛酸苷（EtG）是一种直接的酒精生物标志物，可以在角蛋白基质（头发、指甲）中找到，对于长期监测酒精摄入非常有价值。
比较戒酒者头发和指甲中的 EtG 浓度，并提出指甲中 EtG 的截止值以判断是否戒酒。
从年龄在 18 岁以上、至少戒酒 6 个月的参与者中采集头发和指甲的配对样本。参与者被要求填写一份关于年龄、性别以及使用头发护理产品和指甲油情况的问卷。指甲和头发样本中的 EtG 分析采用经过验证的分析方法进行。
从 126 名参与者中采集了头发和指甲样本。其中，由于采集的头发或指甲量不足，15 名参与者最终未被纳入研究。参与者中女性（65%）较多，平均年龄为 39 岁。除了 4 个样本（2.1、2.1、2.9 和 3.5pg/mg）外，所有样本的头发中 EtG 浓度均低于检测限 2.1pg/mg。111 个指甲样本中，有 97 个样本的 EtG 浓度低于检测限。指甲中的浓度范围在 2.3 到 23pg/mg 之间。
在 111 名戒酒者人群中，指甲中 EtG 浓度的 97.5%分位数为 7.6pg/mg。观察到的最高 EtG 浓度为 23pg/mg。这些结果表明，戒酒的截止值可能低于之前建议的 59pg/mg 和 37pg/mg。
