Utility of liver function tests for screening "alcohol abusers" who are not severely dependent on alcohol

This study evaluated the utility of using liver function tests to identify low dependence outpatient "alcohol abusers" (N = 253) and for evaluating changes in their drinking over the course of treatment. Despite drinking at levels considered to pose a health risk (i.e., drinking on 72% of...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inSubstance use & misuse Vol. 34; no. 12; p. 1723
Main Authors Sobell, L C, Agrawal, S, Sobell, M B
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published England 01.01.1999
Subjects
Adult
Alcohol Drinking
Alcoholism - diagnosis
Cost-Benefit Analysis
Female
Humans
Liver Function Tests - economics
Male
Mass Screening - economics
Middle Aged
Predictive Value of Tests
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Summary:This study evaluated the utility of using liver function tests to identify low dependence outpatient "alcohol abusers" (N = 253) and for evaluating changes in their drinking over the course of treatment. Despite drinking at levels considered to pose a health risk (i.e., drinking on 72% of all days in the year prior to treatment and averaging 6.3 drinks per drinking day), nearly two-thirds had normal liver function tests at treatment entry. It is concluded that for problem drinkers the cost of using liver function tests outweighs the benefits.
ISSN:1082-6084
DOI:10.3109/10826089909039424