Carbohydrate-Deficient Transferrin as a Marker of Alcohol Consumption

At history-taking, the assessment of the amount of regular alcohol consumption means data to be recorded on the basis of the patient’s self-report. In many cases, however, patients do not genuinely inform their physician on the extent of their alcohol consumption, and in certain cases they simply conceal it. In order to prove the diagnosis in diseases of alcoholic origin (e.g. hepatic disease), an objective parameter may often be needed to demonstrate concealed alcohol consumption. An objective marker of alcohol consumption is also required in other cases, as at taking out a life insurance policy or when forming a medical expert opinion in forensic medicine. The amount of carbohydrate-deficient transferrin may be such an indicator.The authors review the pathomechanism of carbohydrate-deficient transferrin formation, the methods of determination, the importance of carbohydrate-deficient transferrin in the diagnostics of diseases caused by alcohol consumption, as well as its role in confirming alcohol consumption in life insurance and in forensic medicine.