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Alcohol and Alcoholism Advance Access published online on July 19, 2006
Alcohol and Alcoholism, doi:10.1093/alcalc/agl052
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© The Author 2006. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Medical Council on Alcohol. All rights reserved
Received May 24, 2006
Revised June 13, 2006
Accepted June 13, 2006

Article

AGE-RELATED CHANGES ON SERUM GGT ACTIVITY AND THE ASSESSMENT OF ETHANOL INTAKE

KATRI PUUKKA 1, JOHANNA HIETALA 1, HEIDI KOIVISTO 1, PETRA ANTTILA 1, RISTO BLOIGU 2, and ONNI NIEMELÄ 1 *

1 Department of Laboratory Medicine and Medical Research Unit, Seinäjoki Central Hospital and University of Tampere, Seinäjoki, Finland
2 The Department of Medical Informatics, University of Oulu, Finland

* To whom correspondence should be addressed.
ONNI NIEMELÄ, E-mail: onni.niemela{at}epshp.fi


  Abstract

Aims: Gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) is a commonly used marker of ethanol abuse. However, although increasing age has also been suggested to elevate serum GGT activities, the magnitude of such effects on GGT in the assessment of ethanol intake have remained poorly defined. Methods: GGT activities from 208 heavy drinkers were compared with those from a reference population including 1330 moderate drinkers and 1160 abstainers, who were further classified to following age intervals: 18-30, 30-50, 50-70, and >70 years. Results: GGT activities increased with increasing age until after 70 years decreasing values were noted in male abstainers. The heavy drinkers belonging to age groups 18-30, 30-50, and 50-70 years showed 2.7-, 8.0-, and 6.9-fold higher mean GGT activities than those in the corresponding groups of abstainers, respectively. The values in the group of moderate drinkers also exceeded those of abstainers in all age groups of men, whereas in women the difference was significant only among those aged 18-30 years. Conclusions: The data indicate that GGT activities respond to ethanol intake in an age-dependent manner, which should be considered in the clinical use of GGT measurements for detecting alcohol use disorders.


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