Carbohydrate-Deficient Transferrin (CDT) as a Biomarker of Alcohol Abuse: A Retrospective Study of the Italian Drinking Trend among Drivers from 2016 to 2022

Denise Fiorelli; Leonardo Romani; Michele Treglia; Margherita Pallocci; Pierluigi Passalacqua; Luca Coppeta; Luigi Tonino Marsella; Roberta Tittarelli

doi:10.3390/toxics11110914

Toxics (Nov 2023)

Carbohydrate-Deficient Transferrin (CDT) as a Biomarker of Alcohol Abuse: A Retrospective Study of the Italian Drinking Trend among Drivers from 2016 to 2022

Denise Fiorelli,
Leonardo Romani,
Michele Treglia,
Margherita Pallocci,
Pierluigi Passalacqua,
Luca Coppeta,
Luigi Tonino Marsella,
Roberta Tittarelli

Affiliations

Denise Fiorelli: Laboratory of Forensic Toxicology, Section of Legal and Forensic Medicine, Social Security and Forensic Toxicology, Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, Via Montpellier 1, 00133 Rome, Italy
Leonardo Romani: Laboratory of Forensic Toxicology, Section of Legal and Forensic Medicine, Social Security and Forensic Toxicology, Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, Via Montpellier 1, 00133 Rome, Italy
Michele Treglia: Laboratory of Forensic Toxicology, Section of Legal and Forensic Medicine, Social Security and Forensic Toxicology, Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, Via Montpellier 1, 00133 Rome, Italy
Margherita Pallocci: Laboratory of Forensic Toxicology, Section of Legal and Forensic Medicine, Social Security and Forensic Toxicology, Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, Via Montpellier 1, 00133 Rome, Italy
Pierluigi Passalacqua: Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, “Sapienza” University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
Luca Coppeta: Laboratory of Forensic Toxicology, Section of Legal and Forensic Medicine, Social Security and Forensic Toxicology, Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, Via Montpellier 1, 00133 Rome, Italy
Luigi Tonino Marsella: Laboratory of Forensic Toxicology, Section of Legal and Forensic Medicine, Social Security and Forensic Toxicology, Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, Via Montpellier 1, 00133 Rome, Italy
Roberta Tittarelli: Laboratory of Forensic Toxicology, Section of Legal and Forensic Medicine, Social Security and Forensic Toxicology, Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, Via Montpellier 1, 00133 Rome, Italy

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics11110914
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 11, no. 11
p. 914

Abstract

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Alcohol abuse is still one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Early diagnosis of alcohol abuse enables preventive intervention on the effects and risks associated with its consumption. Carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT) is one of the most reliable biomarkers of chronic alcohol misuse. We retrospectively studied a population of 12,624 subjects who had their driving license suspended for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs from 2016 to 2022. The analytical determination of CDT was performed following a certified high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method. Data were split by year, age and gender. The majority of subjects with positive %CDT were male, although the trend of positivity was similar between males and females. A steady increase in both the number of tests performed and the number of positives was observed over the years. Patients aged 41–50 years had the highest prevalence, followed by 51–60, 31–40 and 18–30 years. CDT continues to be a steady marker for diagnosis of alcohol abuse in the majority of cases. Data emerging from our study are in line with the increasing national trends on traffic accidents, injuries and deaths related to alcohol and drug DUI (driving under the influence), requiring the implementation of preventive measures to limit this ever-growing phenomenon.

Published in Toxics

ISSN: 2305-6304 (Online)
Publisher: MDPI AG
Country of publisher: Switzerland
LCC subjects: Technology: Chemical technology
Website: http://www.mdpi.com/journal/toxics/

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