Carbohydrate-deficient Transferrin (CDT) A CDT test is one of the most accurate indirect biomarkers with a sensitivity of 77% at detecting chronic alcohol abuse. The test works by establishing the percentage of transferrin that is carbohydrate-deficient.
Gamma–Glutamyltransferase
Levels typically rise after heavy alcohol intake that has continued for several weeks (Allen et al. 1994). With 2–6 weeks of abstinence, levels generally decrease to within the normal reference range, with the half–life of GGT being 14–26 days.
The CDT test is highly accurate in detecting heavy drinking. Similar to how an A1C test detects blood glucose levels over the previous 90 days, the CDT test detects heavy alcohol consumption over a long period. When a person stops drinking, CDT levels go back to normal after two to four weeks.
Transferrin remains in the circulation for 7 to 14 days and CDT, therefore, can give an indication of alcohol consumption over this period of time, which gives it an advantage over blood or urine alcohol measurements which only remain elevated for 24-48 hours after alcohol consumption.
Alcohol can stay in your system between 6-72 hours in most cases depending on the detection test used.
Gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase test.
This is an enzyme that is made in the liver, pancreas, and biliary tract. This test is often performed to assess liver function, to provide information about liver diseases, and to detect alcohol ingestion.
A blood alcohol level in excess of 300 mg/dL, a blood alcohol level of greater than 150 mg/dL without gross evidence of intoxication, or a blood alcohol level of greater than 100 mg/dL upon routine examination indicates alcoholism with a high degree of reliability.
The short answer is yes: blood testing can show heavy alcohol use. However, timing plays a significant role in the accuracy of blood alcohol testing. In a typical situation, blood alcohol tests are only accurate six to 12 hours after someone consumes their last beverage.
A CDT level of 1.6% or less suggests no recent alcohol intake. This means that a CDT level up to and including 1.6% would be acceptable as evidence of there being no recent alcohol intake in someone classed as alcohol dependent. A CDT level between 1.7% and 2.2% or more suggests recent excess alcohol intake.
The half-life of CDT is usually 14–17 days; values return to normal 3 or 4 weeks after abstinence.
In general, a blood test can measure alcohol in your body for up to 6 hours after your last drink, while breathalyser tests work for between 12 and 24 hours. Urine tests, such as the ethyl glucuronide (EtG) test, are also effective for around 12-24 hours after use.
Ethanol. Serum ethanol testing provides the most accurate determination of a patient's alcohol level. Acute ethanol intoxication is not reliably detected by serum ethanol testing beyond the first 6-8 hours.
A CDT level greater than 3% is considered to be indicative of alcohol consumption in a dependent manner. A person whose CDT levels fall within this range is identified as someone who is dependent on alcohol and a driving licence will be refused.
Chronic alcohol consumption leads to increased activities of gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) in the serum which are associated with an enhancement of GGT activities in the liver.
In typical viral or toxic liver injury, the serum ALT level rises more than the AST value, reflecting the relative amounts of these enzymes in hepatocytes. However, in alcoholic hepatitis, the ratio of AST to ALT is greater than 1 in 90 percent of patients and is usually greater than 2.
This study demonstrates that even very modest levels of alcohol intake can significantly affect liver enzymes and the most sensitive measure of alcohol intake is the enzyme GGT which is potentiated by alcohol intake as low as 7–14 g/day.
95% of non-drinkers and individuals with normal drinking patterns will have CDT values below 1.7%. Values greater than 1.7% usually indicate a consumption of more than 60 g of ethanol per day over a period of at least one week. Note that 5% of individuals will therefore have a %CDT of >1.7% without excessive drinking.
The CDT level can become positive after two weeks of heavy drinking (defined as 60 grams or more of ethanol per day) and with abstinence the values normalize with a mean half-life of 14-17 days (Pharmacia, 1994). Thus a positive CDT can identify recent heavy drinking even after a person has stopped drinking.
Among nondrinkers, CDT values ranged from 0.2% to 1.6%. For drinkers, the lowest CDT value was 0.5% (with a daily alcohol intake of 5 g) and the highest was 6.3% (with a daily alcohol consumption of 240 g). CDT levels and daily alcohol intake data for all subjects.
While there are no specific tests to diagnose alcohol use disorder, certain patterns of lab test results may strongly suggest it. And you may need tests to identify health problems that may be linked to your alcohol use. Damage to your organs may be seen on tests. Complete a psychological evaluation.
Liver enzymes are typically elevated, and tests of liver function may be abnormal. Up to 35% of heavy drinkers develop alcoholic hepatitis, and of these 55% already have cirrhosis. AH can be mild or severe. Mild AH may be reversed with abstinence.
Fatty liver is most commonly diagnosed by a routine liver function test drawn from your blood. The alanine aminotransferase (ALT) is a specific marker for liver inflammation and is typically elevated in individuals with a fatty liver.
ALP (alkaline phosphatase), ALT (alanine transaminase), AST (aspartate aminotransferase), and gamma-glutamyl tansferase (GGT). These are different enzymes made by the liver.