Abstract

Target: To determine the optimal threshold level of ethyl glucuronide (EG) concentration in hair for diagnosing alcohol dependence. Methodology: The participants of the study were 90 alcohol-dependent men undergoing an inpatient detoxification course at the Grodno Regional Clinical Center “Psychiatry-Narcology”. The control group included 136 moderate drinkers who underwent a professional examination at a medical consultation center. The concentration of EG in hair was determined by high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS). Statistical data processing was carried out using the Statistica 10.0 program for Windows (StatSoft, Inc., USA). Results: At the threshold concentration of EG, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of the result were 95%, 96%, 98%, 90% respectively. Conclusion: The results of the study indicate the high reliability of determining the concentration of EG in hair in the diagnosis of alcohol dependence.