AUDIT C compared to PEth in middle-aged volunteers.
Marie Fredriksson1, Mårten Werner1
1Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
Alcohol and Alcoholism (Oxford, Oxfordshire)
|July 23, 2024
Summary
The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT C) moderately correlates with phosphatidylethanol (PEth) blood levels. While AUDIT C can identify some heavy drinkers, a score of 0 reliably excludes high alcohol consumption indicated by PEth.
Area of Science:
- Biomarkers of Alcohol Consumption
- Clinical Chemistry
- Public Health
Background:
- Accurate assessment of alcohol consumption is crucial for public health and clinical interventions.
- Phosphatidylethanol (PEth) is a sensitive biomarker of recent alcohol intake.
- The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT C) is a widely used screening tool for hazardous drinking.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the performance of AUDIT C with PEth 16:0/18:1 in identifying alcohol consumption patterns.
- To evaluate previously suggested lower cut-offs for PEth using AUDIT C as a reference for moderate alcohol intake.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 2255 middle-aged volunteers (50-64 years) from northern Sweden was recruited.
- Participants were assessed using both the AUDIT C questionnaire and PEth 16:0/18:1 blood analysis.
- Statistical correlation and agreement analyses were performed between the two measures.
Main Results:
- A moderate correlation (r=0.66) was observed between PEth and AUDIT C scores.
- No participants with an AUDIT C score of 0 had measurable PEth levels.
- A significant proportion of individuals identified as excessive consumers by PEth (≥0.3 μmol/L) had lower AUDIT C scores, indicating potential under-detection by AUDIT C alone.
Conclusions:
- There is a significant correlation between AUDIT C and PEth, supporting their combined use in assessing alcohol consumption.
- An AUDIT C score of 0 effectively excludes high alcohol consumption as indicated by PEth.
- The study suggests that current PEth cut-offs are supported, but lower thresholds may be considered for enhanced sensitivity in detecting alcohol consumption patterns.
