Srpski arhiv za celokupno lekarstvo 2013 Volume 141, Issue 3-4, Pages: 203-206
https://doi.org/10.2298/SARH1304203P
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Forensic aspects of postmortem serum carbohydrate-deficient transferrin analysis as a marker of alcohol abuse
Popović Vesna (Medicinski fakultet, Institut za sudsku medicinu, Beograd)
Atanasijević Tatjana (Medicinski fakultet, Institut za sudsku medicinu, Beograd)
Nikolić Slobodan (Medicinski fakultet, Institut za sudsku medicinu, Beograd)
Božić Nataša (IHTM, Centar za hemiju, Beograd)
Vujčić Zoran (Hemijski fakultet, Beograd)
Micić-Labudović Jelena (Medicinski fakultet, Institut za sudsku medicinu, Beograd)
Introduction. Carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT) has been suggested as
one of alcohol abuse indicators having produced good results in forensic
medicine for years. Objective. The aim of the study was to identify
correlation between present methodology of alcohol abuse diagnosis at autopsy
(macroscopic and microscopic findings) and CDT examination using the method
of isoelectrofocusing (IEF) in polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE). We
also analyzed if the time interval between the moment of death and blood
sample collection influences CDT findings. Methods The method used for CDT
analysis was IEF-PAGE. Sera of 49 males and 11 females aged 14-87 years,
average age 46.85±18.53, were used in this study. Control group consisted of
five patients who died after medical treatment that lasted longer than 15
days, and five patients who started Disulfiram therapy in controlled hospital
environment. Results. The results obtained in CDT examination in dead bodies’
sera showed sensitivity 59% and specificity 71%. A high incidence of falsely
positive CDT result was noticed in liver failure and cirrhosis of
non-alcoholic origin. CDT analysis is also possible to be done in samples
collected postmortem up to 76 hours. Conclusion. In forensic medicine, the
method of CDT determination is reliable for the diagnosis of alcohol abuse.
Keywords: alcoholism, carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT), postmortem analysis, specificity, sensitivity