ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: The time frame for the original CAGE questionnaire is lifetime and it does not quantify drinking frequency and may be less suitable in a population with very few teetotalers. The purpose of this study was to validate a variant of the CAGE questionnaire and compare it with the outcome of a thorough interview according to DSM-III and ICD-10 criteria and to the outcome of biochemical markers in inpatients in a somatic hospital setting. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The questionnaire and biochemical markers were tested on a random sample of 130 patients admitted to a department of orthopedic surgery. The result of a diagnostic interview with a trained staff member from the local alcohol treatment unit was used as the gold standard. Data were analyzed by means of receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. RESULTS: In this population 25 % had an alcohol problem and the questionnaire proved to be valid, with a sensitivity and specificity of 0.94 and 0.88, respectively, while the positive predictive value (PVpos) was 0.73 and the negative predictive value (PVneg) was 0.98. Carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT) had a sensitivity and a specificity of 0.47 and 0.96, and PVpos and PVneg of 0.80 and 0.85, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This new diagnostic questionnaire is simple, easy to administer and suitable for screening purposes in populations with a high prevalence of at-risk drinkers.
