Clinical correlations with carbohydrate-deficient transferrin levels in women with alcoholism.

Carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT) has received increasing attention as a potential biological marker for heavy drinking or as an objective marker of relapse in patients who are treated for alcohol dependence. Previous studies have demonstrated the utility of CDT among men, but there are fewer and inconsistent reports on the utility of CDT among women. This study reports in a sample of 40 alcohol-dependent women, the association between CDT levels, and several different types of measures of drinking intensity including frequency of heavy drinking. Although the majority of drinking indices correlated with CDT levels in men, among women, CDT levels were significantly correlated with the percentage of days of heavy drinking when heavy drinking day was defined as drinking 6 or more drinks per drinking day. The results also support an association between current menstrual function, CDT levels, and drinking indices. These findings suggest that the pattern of drinking (combining high frequency and high intensity) may be an important determinant of CDT levels in women with alcohol dependence, compared with men.

Carbohydrate-deficient transferrin: an investigative biochemical marker of heavy alcohol consumption.

Carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT) has been identified as a potential biochemical marker of heavy alcohol consumption. Published studies to date primarily have focused on the ability of CDT levels to distinguish individuals with heavy alcohol drinking from nondrinking populations. In contrast, this study examines the utility of CDT levels in distinguishing alcohol-dependent patients who drink heavily from those who drink smaller amounts. This study also evaluates the potential relationship of CDT to severity of alcohol dependence and its gender differences. Serum was collected in 38 DSM-III-R alcohol-dependent outpatients at treatment entry (22 males, 16 females). CDT levels correlated with the extent of alcohol drinking in the month before treatment in males (r = 0.56, df = 20, p < .01), but not in females (r = 0.08, df = 14, NS). CDT levels also correlated with alcohol severity at pre-treatment in males (r = 0.53, df = 20, p < .05), but not in females (r = 0.27, df = 14, NS). Thus, elevated CDT levels may be mediated by alcohol severity, distinguishing CDT not only as a marker of heavy drinking, but also as an indicator of the severity of drinking-related biological and psychosocial dysfunction that may require further intervention.