Urinary Markers of Chronic Excessive Ethanol Consumption

A gas chromatographic mass spectrometric procedure is described for the measurement of free ethanol and conjugates of ethanol and acetaldehyde. It was demonstrated that conjugates of ethanol and acetaldehyde were present in urine of alcoholics. Urinary levels of free ethanol and the conjugates in abstaining alcoholics were higher than those of social drinkers. On the average, alcoholics excreted equal amounts of free ethanol and ethanol conjugates while controls eliminated three parts of ethanol conjugates to one part of free ethanol. After 14 days of abstinence, 16/23 (70%) of alcoholics had levels of free ethanol and acetaldehyde conjugates higher than the mean +2 SD of social drinkers for these substances. When the molar ratio of ethanol conjugates/free ethanol was considered, five more subjects who were alcoholics could be classified as being alcoholics. There was one false positive among 46 control subjects.