Alteration of biological markers in alcohol-dependent individuals without liver disease during the detoxification therapy.

BACKGROUND/AIM The need for sensitive biological markers to detect and prove recent drinking has been the focus of many research groups. The aim of our study was to investigate the alterations of biological markers in a population of alcohol dependent individuals during the detoxification period. PATIENTS AND METHODS Fifty-two alcohol-dependent individuals were admitted for alcohol detoxification on an inpatient basis. Carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT), gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (gamma-GT), interleukin-6 (IL-6), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), aspartate transaminase (AST), alanine transaminase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) were obtained at admission and on a 15-day basis. Comparisons between measures were made with t-test. RESULTS All biochemical parameters associated with alcoholism, with the exception of MCV, were statistically significantly decreased during the detoxification process (p<0.05). CONCLUSION CDT is an excellent marker of alcohol overconsumption during evaluation, as well as during the detoxification treatment. IL-6 could serve as an additional marker to CDT, a point needing further investigation.