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Heroin Addiction and Related Clinical Problems: 2017, 19, N4 (pages: 41 - 46)

Clinical Determination of Carbohydrate-Deficient Transferrin (Cdt) in a Random Sample of General Population in Naples

Reccia L., Morelli R., Boccella S., Iovine R., Zaia D., Crinisio A., Leone A., Marabese I., Scala G., Guida F., Cante D., De Novellis V., and Stella L.

Summary: Background. Alcoholism has become one of the main medical and social problems in Western society. Among different indicators, carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT) can be considered the main marker in both clinical and forensic environments for alcohol addicts. Aim. The present study aims to report an accurate estimate of CDT levels in a sample of chronic alcoholic subjects, while comparing that with a control group. Methods. We administered the CDT dosage to 993 subjects from a random sample of the general population and in patients from the Addiction Treatment Service (SERT, double diagnosis in two different samples of population in Naples). Among them, 423 belonged to a ‘random' sample from the control group and 570 alcohol addicts indicated as the Chronic Alcoholic group. To this end, serum CDT levels in both groups were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Results. The analyses from the different groups revealed significantly higher percentages of CDT levels in the Chronic Alcoholic group than in the control group. Conclusions. Our findings add new data on CTD dosage in a significant sample of the territory pertaining to the Local Health Authority within Naples known as ASL Napoli 2 North.