Serum-gamma-glutamyltransferase in screening and continuous control of heavy drinking in middle-aged men

In an on-going population study in Malmö, serum-gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) is utilized both in biochemical screening of high alcohol consumption and as a tool in further investigation, treatment and control of middle-aged men with screening GGT in the top decile of the distribution. For this purpose, a special outpatient clinic has been instituted and is described in the present report. The composition of the intervention group and the feasibility of the program are reported for the first 6760 middle-aged male screening participants. A random one-half of the individuals with screening GGT in the top decile were allocated to the intervention group, which after primary dropouts and exclusion of concurrent diseases consisted of 252 individuals who have now been followed between three to six years. On the basis of structured interviews, hazardous levels of alcohol consumption were concluded to be present in 76% of the group. Although one-quarter of the group dropped out of the intervention program, the results indicate that it is feasible to institute an outpatient clinic for individuals with increased GGT levels found in a general health screening examination, to retain most individuals in this outpatient clinic and to consider alcohol habits and consumption levels in relation to the laboratory test value and general physical health status.