Application of phosphatidylethanol (PEth) in whole blood in comparison to ethyl glucuronide in hair (hEtG) in driving aptitude assessment (DAA)

Schröck, Alexandra; Pfäffli, Matthias; König, Stefan; Weinmann, Wolfgang (2016). Application of phosphatidylethanol (PEth) in whole blood in comparison to ethyl glucuronide in hair (hEtG) in driving aptitude assessment (DAA). International journal of legal medicine, 130(6), pp. 1527-1533. Springer 10.1007/s00414-016-1394-4

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For driving aptitude assessment (DAA), the analysis of several alcohol biomarkers is essential for the detection of alcohol intake besides psycho-medical exploration. In Switzerland, EtG in hair (hEtG) is often the only direct marker for abstinence monitoring in DAA. Therefore, the suitability of phosphatidylethanol (PEth) was investigated as additional biomarker. PEth 16:0/18:1 and 16:0/18:2 were determined by online-SPE-LC-MS/MS in 136 blood samples of persons undergoing DAA and compared to hEtG, determined in hair segments taken at the same time. With a PEth 16:0/18:1 threshold of 210 ng/mL for excessive alcohol consumption, all (n = 30) but one tested person also had hEtG values ≥30 pg/mg. In 54 cases, results are not in contradiction to an abstinence as neither PEth (<20 ng/mL) nor hEtG (<7 pg/mg) was detected. In eight cases, both markers showed moderate consumption. Altogether, PEth and hEtG were in accordance in 68 % of the samples, although covering different time periods of alcohol consumption. With receiver operating characteristic analysis, PEth was evaluated to differentiate abstinence, moderate, and excessive alcohol consumption in accordance with hEtG limits. A PEth 16:0/18:1 threshold of 150 ng/mL resulted in the best sensitivity (70.6 %) and specificity (98.8 %) for excessive consumption. Values between 20 and 150 ng/mL passed for moderate consumption, values <20 ng/mL passed for abstinence. As PEth mostly has a shorter detection window (2-4 weeks) than hEtG (up to 6 months depending on hair length), changes in drinking behavior can be detected earlier by PEth than by hEtG analysis alone. Therefore, PEth helps to improve the diagnostic information and is a valuable additional alcohol marker for DAA.

Item Type:

Journal Article (Original Article)

Division/Institute:

04 Faculty of Medicine > Service Sector > Institute of Legal Medicine
04 Faculty of Medicine > Service Sector > Institute of Legal Medicine > Traffic Medicine, Psychiatry and Psychology
04 Faculty of Medicine > Service Sector > Institute of Legal Medicine > Forensic Chemistry and Toxicology

Graduate School:

Graduate School for Cellular and Biomedical Sciences (GCB)

UniBE Contributor:

Schröck, Alexandra, Pfäffli, Matthias, König, Stefan (A), Weinmann, Wolfgang

Subjects:

600 Technology > 610 Medicine & health

ISSN:

0937-9827

Publisher:

Springer

Language:

English

Submitter:

Antoinette Angehrn

Date Deposited:

18 Jul 2016 11:57

Last Modified:

29 Mar 2023 23:34

Publisher DOI:

10.1007/s00414-016-1394-4

PubMed ID:

27255372

Uncontrolled Keywords:

Alcohol biomarker; Ethyl glucuronide in hair (hEtG); Online-SPE-LC-MS/MS; Phosphatidylethanol (PEth) in blood

BORIS DOI:

10.7892/boris.83558

URI:

https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/83558

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