ORIGINAL ARTICLES   

Minerva Medica 2000 October;91(10):247-54

Copyright © 2000 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: Italian

Determination of carbohydrate transferrin (CDT) in the legal medical assessment of being fit to drive

Zolezzi C., Fasano M. C., Sormani G., Minarini A., Pizzoferrato A.

Background. According to the literature carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT) is thought to be the most sensitive and specific marker of alcohol abuse, but must always be combined with other laboratory tests. Until now the amount of CDT that indicates a state of chronic alcoholism has not been established. Therefore, our aim was to quantify the percentage of CDT that discriminates social drinkers from alcoholics.
Methods. A retrospective study was carried out covering a period of four months on patients who came to us after having their driving licenses suspended for drink driving: 100 male and female subjects aged between 21 and 65 years were examined. This population was compared to a control group of 50 subjects matched for age, who consumed a moderate amount of alcohol, and had never had their driving licenses suspended. Results. The percentage of CDT was found by heterogenous enzyme immunoassay that involves column separation and turbidimetry. There was a notable difference in the amount of CDT between the two groups. The ANOVA and Levene tests were used for statistical analysis.
Conclusions. The authors found the percentage amount of CDT that discriminates the two groups, highlighting the important role of this marker of alcohol abuse in a relevant social context.