The role of chronic alcohol intake in patients with spontaneous intracranial hemorrhage:: A carbohydrate-deficient transferrin study

Background and Purpose: Chronic alcohol intake is considered to be a risk factor for spontaneous intracranial hemorrhage (SICH). However, there is a lack of objective data in this field. The aim was to assess its role in hemorrhagic stroke objectively and to evaluate its correlation with the elevation of gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) plasma levels. The reliability of patients' anamnestic data concerning alcohol intake was also assessed. Methods: Laboratory assessment of the plasma carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT) level was performed in 105 SICH patients and in a control group of 105 patients with dorsalgia. All patients were treated at the Clinic of Neurology, Faculty Hospital, Olomouc, Czech Republic. GGT plasma level values and anamnestic data concerning alcohol consumption were also analyzed. chi(2) tests were applied when assessing statistical significance. Results: The CDT test was positive in 25.7% of SICH patients versus 7.6% of control group subjects (p = 0.0008). GGT plasma levels were elevated in 44.4% of SICH patients with a positive CDT test versus 25.6% of patients with a negative one. The GGT test is not reliable in the detection of alcohol intake when compared with the CDT test (p = 0.71). Only 13.0% of SICH patients with a positive CDT test (subgroup 1) stated regular and high consumption of all types of alcoholic beverages. Another 26.1% of these patients stated regular daily consumption of more than 1 liter, and 47.8% of them stated less than 1 liter of beer, with uncertain data concerning wine and spirits intake. Thirteen percent of subgroup 1 patients denied alcohol consumption altogether. Conclusions: Chronic alcohol consumption is at least one of several risk factors in one fourth of SICH patients in the Olomouc region of the Czech Republic. The CDT test is the most sensitive method to diagnose chronic alcohol consumption, and it is superior to the examination of GGT and the evaluation of patients' anamnestic data. Copyright (C) 2003 S. KargerAG, Basel.