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Identification of heavy drinkers by using the early detection of alcohol consumption score
1Alcohol Detection Services, Brookfield, Wisconsin 53045-8156, USA. edac@execpc.com
Insights
Routine blood tests effectively identify heavy alcohol consumption using the Early Detection of Alcohol Consumption (EDAC) score. This practical laboratory screen offers high accuracy in distinguishing heavy drinkers from light drinkers in clinical settings.
Area of Science:
- Clinical Chemistry
- Toxicology
- Public Health
Background:
- Heavy alcohol consumption poses significant health risks.
- Accurate detection of heavy drinking is crucial for early intervention.
- Routine blood tests are widely available in clinical settings.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy of routine blood chemistry and hematology tests in identifying heavy drinkers among ambulatory individuals.
- To assess the performance of the Early Detection of Alcohol Consumption (EDAC) score for heavy drinking detection.
Main Methods:
- Linear discriminant function (LDF) analysis was employed to classify subjects based on blood chemistry and demographic factors.
- A cohort of 807 subjects with known drinking patterns was recruited from diverse centers.
- Classification accuracy was validated against standardized questionnaires and interviews.
Main Results:
- The EDAC test, utilizing LDF, achieved 88% accuracy in identifying heavy drinkers and 92% in identifying light drinkers.
- Optimal performance was observed in individuals aged 40 and above, with 84% sensitivity and 97% specificity.
- The LDF analysis demonstrated high sensitivity and specificity in females (73% and 94%, respectively), outperforming single biochemical markers.
Conclusions:
- The EDAC score serves as a practical and effective laboratory screening tool for detecting heavy alcohol consumption.
- The study highlights the utility of routine blood tests in identifying at-risk individuals in clinical practice.
- The findings support the integration of the EDAC score into routine clinical assessments for alcohol use disorders.
Background:
The objective of this study was to evaluate the use of routine blood chemistry and hematology tests to detect heavy drinkers among ambulatory subjects. Heavy drinkers were defined as subjects who consumed an average of four or more standard drinks per day if male and an average of three or more standard drinks per day if female, for at least 1 month before sample collection (1 standard drink = 15 ml of absolute ethanol).
Methods:
A routine blood chemistry panel and the demographic factors of age, sex, and ethnicity were evaluated by using linear discriminant function (LDF) analysis to classify subjects as heavy drinkers or light drinkers. The classification was validated by comparison with drinking patterns established by standardized questionnaire and interview. Subjects (n = 807) were males and females with known drinking patterns recruited from 25 centers that included detoxification and rehabilitation institutions, churches, and community groups in the Milwaukee and Boston areas.
Results:
With LDF, 88% of the heavy drinkers and 92% of the light drinkers were correctly identified by the Early Detection of Alcohol Consumption test. The LDF performed the best when used to identify heavy drinking in ages 40 and above, a group that showed 84% (120 of 143) sensitivity at 97% (152 of 157) specificity. Performance in females showed 73% (76 of 104) sensitivity at 94% (129 of 137) specificity, rates higher than obtained with any single biochemical marker previously examined. Receiver operating characteristic plot analysis showed areas under the curve of 0.94 for females and 0.95 for males (p < 0.0001).
Conclusions:
The Early Detection of Alcohol Consumption score is a practical laboratory screen for detecting heavy drinking based on blood constituents ordered routinely in clinical settings.