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CANSFORD LABS
on Nov 30, 2021
Blood testing is often used in conjunction with hair testing when assessing harmful or problem drinking or alcohol abuse. The results can be used to support life-changing decisions, such as child custody cases.
Carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT) is an alcohol biomarker test and one of the most used biomarkers for monitoring alcohol use. A newer blood test, measures Phosphatidylethanol (PEth) a very specific alcohol biomarker, for the detection of current regular alcohol consumption.
At Cansford, we recommend the use of PEth testing as a more sensitive marker than the more commonly used CDT to accurately demonstrate alcohol use within 28 days of the sample being taken. The other advantages of PEth testing is that it is possible to take the sample using dry blood spots (DBS).
Here, we look at the detail behind that recommendation and the differences between the two markers.
References
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