Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Turkish Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, cilt.3, sa.1, ss.19-29, 2006 (SCI-Expanded)
Identification of alcoholism is crucial in preventing adverse health effects and social consequences of excessive alcohol consumption. The aim of this study was to determine concentrations of sialic acid (SA) in serum samples of alcoholics and to compare its diagnostic value with some conventional markers. Samples were obtained from alcohol-dependents (n=25) and healthy controls (n=23). To assess the possible effect of amount of alcohol consumed, alcohol-dependent subjects were divided into three subgroups [<200g ethanol per day (n=9), 200-300g ethanol per day (n=9), and >300g ethanol per day (n=7)]. Additionally, alcohol-dependents were also split into two subgroups according to presence (n=11) or absence (n=14) of hepatosteatosis. As evaluated according to the amount of alcohol consumption, SA levels were elevated in the 200-300 and >300g ethanol per day subgroups (p<0.05); on the other hand, interestingly, SA levels of alcohol-dependents with and without hepatosteatosis were significantly increased as compared with controls (p<0.05). When sensitivities were evaluated, SA was superior to others in overall, in the absence of hepatosteatosis, and in >300g ethanol per day subgroup (64%, 57.1%, and 85.7%, respectively). SA may be of value in identifying alcohol-use-disorder in presence and absence of hepatosteatosis, as well as reflecting the amount of alcohol consumed.