| Author/Editor | Kravos, Matej | |
| Title | Glutamat-dehidrogenaza kot označevalec sindroma odvisnosti od alkohola | |
| Type | monografija | |
| Place | Ljubljana | |
| Publisher | Univerza v Ljubljani, Medicinska fakulteta | |
| Publication year | 2007 | |
| Volume | str. 98 | |
| Language | slo | |
| Abstract | Alcoholism has a pronounced effect on people's mental and physical health; in addition, it greatly influences family life as well as social and professional environment. It can be indirectly ascertained by means of some biochemical markers in serum, such as: carbohydrate deficient transferrin (CDT), gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and mean corpuscular volume (MCV). CDT is today considered to be the most specific marker of alcoholism. Its sensitivity, however, is not high enough, but appropriate combinations of biological markers to increase sensitivity for diagnosing alcoholism are being searched for. The data about glutamate dehydrogenase (GLDH) sensitivity in diagnosing alcohol addiction and its return to normal serum value, after a total abstinence has been restored, are contradictory. GLDH, the essential enzyme in metabolism of amino acids and gluconeogenesis, is a linking factor in metabolism of carbohydrates and proteins. GLDH is an enzyme of mitochondrial matrix, but the latest data reveal it is also found in rough endoplasmic reticulum. To our knowledge the source of GLDH in serum, can only be found in hepatocyte mitochondria. There are no available data about leukocytes GLDH function. A decrease in leukocytes GLDH activity has been discovered in patients with neurodegenerative diseases. In two preliminary cases we have ascertained that increased serum GLDH activity falls rapidly after the total break in alcohol consumption; the GLDH activity in leukocytes, however increases. The aims of our study were as follows: to estimate and determine the role of GLDH as a marker of alcoholism, maintenance of abstinence and recurrence of alcohol consumption, to deime its specifics, sensitivity and clinical applicability. Our research has been done on 245 general practice patients and blood donors, as well as 238 inpatient alcoholics. (Abstract truncated at 2000 characters) | |
| Descriptors | ALCOHOLISM GLUTAMATE DEHYDROGENASE ALCOHOL, ETHYL GAMMA-GLUTAMYLTRANSFERASE ASPARTATE AMINOTRANSFERASE ALANINE AMINOTRANSFERASE ALCOHOL DRINKING TEMPERANCE |