Ethyl Glucuronide in Hair: A 10-Year Overview

Area of Science:

• Forensic Toxicology
• Analytical Chemistry
• Addiction Medicine

Background:

• Hair ethyl glucuronide (EtG) analysis offers a reliable method for assessing long-term alcohol consumption.
• Understanding EtG distribution patterns is crucial for interpreting abstinence and consumption levels.
• Previous studies have explored EtG but lacked large-scale, decade-long data from diverse populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate long-term alcohol consumption patterns using hair EtG analysis over a 10-year period.
• To investigate the influence of demographic factors (age, gender), seasonality, and the COVID-19 pandemic on EtG levels.
• To assess the reliability and comparability of hair EtG testing using established cut-offs.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 68,221 hair samples collected between 2013 and 2022 from a Northern Italian cohort.
• Quantification of hair EtG using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry/Mass Spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS).
• Classification of EtG levels based on Society of Hair Testing (SoHT) cut-offs for abstinence, repeated, and chronic excessive alcohol consumption.

Main Results:

• 13.6% of samples indicated repeated alcohol consumption (5 < EtG < 30 pg/mg) and 5.6% indicated chronic excessive consumption (EtG ≥ 30 pg/mg).
• EtG levels showed significant variations based on gender, age, hair type (head, chest, axillary, pubic), hair segment length, and season (higher in colder months).
• While no short-term COVID-19 impact was observed, a significant long-term influence of the pandemic on alcohol consumption was detected via hair EtG.

Conclusions:

• Hair EtG testing is a reliable method for monitoring long-term alcohol consumption, despite inherent variability in concentrations.
• Demographic factors, seasonality, and long-term societal events like the COVID-19 pandemic significantly influence alcohol consumption patterns.
• This study provides valuable insights into alcohol consumption trends within a large, monitored population, aiding clinical and forensic interpretations.