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Citation |
Deas D, Johnson N, Thomas S. Alcohol 2019; 81: 27-30. |
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Affiliation |
Medical University of South Carolina, 171 Ashley Avenue, Charleston, SC 29425. |
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Copyright |
(Copyright © 2019, Elsevier Publishing) |
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DOI |
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PMID |
31233805 |
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Abstract |
A biomarker that could indicate problematic drinking in adolescents and/or reflect changes in heavy drinking would be a valuable addition to prevention, treatment, and research efforts. Carbohydrate deficient transferrin (CDT) is a valid biomarker of heavy drinking in adults, however not well examined in adolescents. Adolescents with alcohol dependence (AD) (n=21; 9 females) and non-dependent controls (ND) (n=6; 3 females), ages 14-20, were interviewed to determine drinks per drinking day, peak number of drinks, and percent days heavy drinking (≥4 standard drinks/day). Blood samples from participants were assayed for percent of transferrin that was carbohydrate deficient (%CDT). Analyses compared groups on drinking and %CDT, examined the relationship between %CDT and indices of drinking, and provided preliminary estimates of the test validity of %CDT for heavy drinking in adolescents. Among adolescents with AD, %CDT was significantly and strongly correlated (r=.54) with percent heavy drinking days, and this relationship was consistent for both males and females. AD adolescents did not differ from ND on mean %CDT levels, despite significantly greater alcohol use. Indicators of test validity showed that %CDT had low sensitivity (33%) but adequate specificity (83%) for heavy drinking. Language: en |
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Keywords |
Adolescent; Alcohol; Binge drinking; Biomarker |