- Jul 16, 2001
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The ability to detect covert alcohol use can be applied in various settings: identifying patients in treatment who may have lapsed or relapsed; ensuring that employees in safety-sensitive work environments are alcohol free; and helping to monitor recovering health professionals who must document their sobriety in order to continue their practice. A study in the March issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research has found that a relatively new biochemical marker called ethyl glucuronide (EtG) is a highly effective and sensitive marker of recent alcohol use.
"The data clearly suggest that EtG could be a useful tool in numerous settings, including alcohol and drug treatment, driving, the workplace, pregnancy, monitoring physicians or other professionals who are in recovery and working, and for forensic purposes," said Friedrich Martin Wurst, a psychiatrist at the University of Basel and first author of the study. "We found that shortly after consumption of even small amounts of alcohol, EtG becomes positive. It also seems capable of detecting alcohol intake up to 80 hours after complete elimination of alcohol from the body. In short, it seems to meet the need for a sensitive and specific marker to elucidate alcohol use not detected by standard testing. The use of this marker alone, and along with other biological markers and self reports, could lead to significant improvements in treatment outcome, therapy effectiveness, and cost reductions."
The ability to detect covert alcohol use can be applied in various settings: identifying patients in treatment who may have lapsed or relapsed; ensuring that employees in safety-sensitive work environments are alcohol free; and helping to monitor recovering health professionals who must document their sobriety in order to continue their practice. A study in the March issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research has found that a relatively new biochemical marker called ethyl glucuronide (EtG) is a highly effective and sensitive marker of recent alcohol use.
"The data clearly suggest that EtG could be a useful tool in numerous settings, including alcohol and drug treatment, driving, the workplace, pregnancy, monitoring physicians or other professionals who are in recovery and working, and for forensic purposes," said Friedrich Martin Wurst, a psychiatrist at the University of Basel and first author of the study. "We found that shortly after consumption of even small amounts of alcohol, EtG becomes positive. It also seems capable of detecting alcohol intake up to 80 hours after complete elimination of alcohol from the body. In short, it seems to meet the need for a sensitive and specific marker to elucidate alcohol use not detected by standard testing. The use of this marker alone, and along with other biological markers and self reports, could lead to significant improvements in treatment outcome, therapy effectiveness, and cost reductions."
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