VERIFIED CONTENTAuthor: lek. Tomasz Nęcki

Alcohol abuse can be evidenced by various signals: changes in the color of the skin of the face, trembling limbs or a general increase in sweating. Sometimes, however, alcoholics can mask themselves perfectly and even the people closest to them do not realize how serious problems they are facing. However, not everything can be hidden - there are some abnormalities in laboratory tests that may indicate that the patient is addicted to alcohol.

Alcohol is a commonly available psychoactive substance and probably, among others, for this reason, so many people in the world are addicted to its consumption. The problem of excessive ethanol consumption concerns many different countries, and it also affects Poland. According to statistics, over two million Poles abuse alcohol, of which almost a million people are addicted to alcohol. It is worth noting here that we are only talking about official data. The fact that some people consume alcohol excessively sometimes nobody knows but themselves knows, which is why the scale of the problem is probably much bigger.

When can you talk about alcohol abuse?

In some people, the symptoms of alcohol abuse are visible at first glance. In people who consume alcohol in isolation and in smaller amounts, any indications of alcohol dependence may not be clearly discernible. However, there are methods by which you can directly determine if someone is abusing alcohol - these are some laboratory tests.

The basic test that directly allows you to determine the state after drinking alcohol is testing the concentration of ethanol in the blood. However, this informs about acute poisoning or directly about alcohol consumption, but it does not answer the question whether a given person is chronically abusing alcoholic beverages.

In order to find out if such a problem really applies to a given patient, slightly different laboratory tests are necessary.

Virtual breathalyzer - use the BAL calculator

Step 1 of 3, fill in your info

18-99 years oldcmkg

Laboratory Indicators of Alcohol Abuse: GGTP

One of the basic tests performed in the diagnosis of alcohol abuse is the determination of GGTP concentration,or gamma-glutamyl-transferases in the blood. This enzyme is found in the membranes of many different cells, but the greatest amounts are found in the liver cells and bile duct cells, from which GGTP is released when damaged.

Ultimately, even in ¾ of all people who chronically abuse alcohol, there may be a significant increase in blood GGTP levels up to 10 times above the normal level. This marker is interesting because its significant increase in people who previously did not abuse alcohol occurs only after a few weeks of consuming excessive amounts of alcohol.

It is worth mentioning here that the increase in blood GGTP concentration is not specific to alcohol dependence. This can also happen in the course of other he alth problems, such as pancreatitis, hyperthyroidism or in connection with taking certain medications (e.g. antidepressants or anticonvulsants).

It is for this reason that the mere finding of an increased concentration of GGTP in the patient's blood does not clearly indicate that he is abusing alcohol. However, finding, along with elevated GGTP, abnormal test results for other markers of alcohol abuse may suggest a problem.

Laboratory Indicators of Alcohol Abuse: Liver Enzymes

Alcohol abuse may lead to an increase in blood levels of liver enzymes, such as AST (aspartate aminotransferase) or ALT (alanine aminotransferase). Usually, in patients struggling with addiction, the values ​​of the above-mentioned indicators increase 2-4 times above the norm.

It is worth mentioning here that a single consumption of alcohol does not have a direct effect on the concentration of liver enzymes in the blood. Their increase may occur when a patient consumes a really large amount of alcoholic beverages at a time. In such a situation, the increase in, for example, AST may be visible only after 1-2 days.

Laboratory indicators of alcohol abuse: blood counts

Certain deviations, which may suggest that the patient is abusing alcohol, may be noticeable in such a routine test as blood count. Above all, the increased MCV, i.e. the average volume of the red blood cell, should be noted.

Increased MCV is usually possible after a few (about 4) weeks of drinking too much alcohol. It is worth mentioning here that in the blood count test, alcohol abuse may also be suggested by elevated MCH or a reduction in the number of thrombocytes (platelets).

Laboratoryalcohol abuse rates: desialized transferrin

The determination of the concentration of desialylated transferrin (CDT) in the blood is a relatively new test used in the diagnosis of alcohol abuse. However, this study is now gaining more and more popularity.

It is used in particular to monitor addiction treatment. Already after a few days of drinking larger amounts of ethanol, its concentration in the blood increases, and at the same time, after a short abstinence, even the consumption of small amounts of alcohol may result in a significant increase in the concentration of CDT in the blood.

Laboratory indicators of alcohol abuse: other markers

Alcohol consumed in excess damages many different tissues and organs, therefore, in addicts, laboratory abnormalities other than those mentioned above may be found.

There may be, inter alia, to increase the concentration of HDL cholesterol in the blood and to increase the concentration of triglycerides in the blood. Additionally, there may be an increase in the concentration of immunoglobulin A, a decrease in the concentration of albumin or an increase in the concentration of alkaline phosphatase in the blood.

Category:

He alth