Female alcoholic outpatients and female college students: a correlational study of self-reported alcohol consumption and carbohydrate-deficient transferrin levels.

OBJECTIVE

We sought to test the efficacy of two biochemical markers of alcohol consumption, gamma glutamyl transpeptidase and carbohydrate deficient transferrin, as indicators of heavy alcohol consumption in a female population.

METHOD

Using a sample of female outpatient alcoholics (n = 36) and a comparison group of female college students (n = 50), alcohol intake was monitored by self-report at approximately 90-day intervals over a period of 12 months. Gamma glutamyl transpeptidase (GGTP) and carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT) values were determined for each sampling period. The criterion for heavy alcohol consumption was set at 140 g/alcohol/week for a 90-day period. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were plotted, area under the curve (Az) computed, and sensitivity and specificity calculated for both CDT and GGTP. ROC curves provide a graphical illustration of the association between the specificity and sensitivity of any diagnostic test over all possible cutpoint values.

RESULTS

A significant, positive correlation between the amount of alcohol consumed and GGTP activity was recorded for the outpatient alcoholic group. Among the college students, there was a significant, positive correlation between CDT levels and alcohol consumed for the second reporting period. The sensitivity of the individual biochemical markers was low but, when used in combination, sensitivity was 66% and specificity, 80%. When a more stringent criterion for heavy alcohol consumption was applied (420 g/alcohol/week), the sensitivity of CDT actually decreased.

CONCLUSIONS

CDT, used alone, is a poor indicator of heavy alcohol consumption in female subjects. When GGTP measures are used in conjunction with CDT, detection of heavy alcohol consumption may be enhanced to useful levels.