Wertigkeit der Laborparameter Gamma-Glutamyltransferase (gGT), mittleres korpuskulares Erythrozytenvolumen (MCV) und Carbohydrat - Defizientes Transferrin (CDT) zur Beurteilung des Alkoholkonsums bei mannlichen Arbeitern - Ergebnisse einer Querschnittstudie

An inquiry of 182 male workers was performed about individual alcohol consumption. This was followed by an investigation of biological alcoholism markers (gamma-Glutamyltransferase [gGT], Mean Corpuscular Erythrocytes Volume [MCV] and Carbohydrate-deficient Transferrin [CDT]). Its aim was to examine the role of the biological alcoholism markers in the assessment of alcohol intake in a normal population. A high percentage (53%) of workers was found who claimed alcohol abstinence. Men with indicated alcohol consumption had a mean alcohol intake of 34 g per day. Only CDT values showed a significant change in relation to alcohol consumption. In addition there was a significant correlation of CDT with gGT and MCV as well as of gGT with MCV, all with small correlation coefficients. With knowledge of laboratory results an allocation of the men into the respective groups (abstinent and/or alcohol consumer) was only slightly more exact than without the knowledge of these parameters. These data show that in a normal collective determination of alcoholism markers it does not contribute to a better classification of an abstinent or an alcohol consuming person. Nor does it help towards a better estimation of the amount of alcohol consumed.