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Improving screening for alcohol consumption during pregnancy with phosphatidylethanol
Luis A Bracero1, Stefan Maxwell2, Afua Nyanin3
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, West Virginia University-Charleston Division, Charleston Area Medical Center, United States; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hofstra Northwell School of Medicine, Southside Hospital, United States.
Reproductive Toxicology (Elmsford, N.Y.)
|September 24, 2017
Summary
Phosphatidylethanol (PEth) testing identified more alcohol use than urine ethanol tests in pregnant patients. Combining both methods provided the highest detection rate for alcohol consumption.
Area of Science:
- Clinical Chemistry
- Obstetrics and Gynecology
- Addiction Medicine
Background:
- Alcohol consumption during pregnancy poses significant health risks to both mother and fetus.
- Accurate identification of alcohol use in obstetric settings is crucial for timely intervention and prenatal care.
- Existing screening methods, including self-reporting and urine ethanol testing, may underestimate alcohol consumption.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the efficacy of urine ethanol testing versus self-reporting in detecting alcohol use.
- To compare the efficacy of Phosphatidylethanol (PEth) dried blood spot testing versus self-reporting in detecting alcohol use.
- To determine the optimal method for identifying alcohol consumption in an obstetric population.
Main Methods:
- A prospective observational study was conducted in an obstetric clinic.
- Universal alcohol screening was performed using self-reporting, urine ethanol testing (Method 1), and PEth dried blood spot testing (Method 2).
- Data were analyzed to compare detection rates and agreement between methods.
Main Results:
- Phosphatidylethanol (PEth) testing identified significantly more alcohol users (22 cases) compared to urine ethanol testing (5 cases).
- Self-reporting identified 6 cases, all of whom had negative results with both urine and PEth testing.
- Combining both urine ethanol and PEth testing resulted in the highest alcohol detection rate of 10.2% (32/314 patients).
Conclusions:
- Phosphatidylethanol (PEth) dried blood spot testing is more effective than urine ethanol testing for identifying alcohol consumption in obstetric patients.
- Combining PEth testing with urine ethanol testing maximizes the detection of alcohol use in this population.
- These findings support the use of PEth testing as a valuable tool in prenatal alcohol screening.
