Korean J Health Promot.  2016 Jun;16(2):84-91. 10.15384/kjhp.2016.16.2.84.

Predictability of Complete Blood Count Parameters for Heavy Drinking according to the Facial Flushing

• Joung HC
• Yang HJ
• Kim JS
• Kim SS
• Yoon SJ
• Chang JW

• KMID: 2328599
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.15384/kjhp.2016.16.2.84

Abstract

BACKGROUND
Alcohol is personal and social problem around the world. Though binge drinking is associated with the elevation of arbohydrate deficient trasnferrin and r-glutamyl transpeptidase, studies of the relationship between heavy drinking and other biological markers are rare. The purpose of this study is to investigate the association between heavy drinking and CBC figures through flushing and non flushing using both NIAAA and Korean guidelines.
METHODS
The subjects were 581 Korean adult males: who had undergone a comprehensive medical evaluation at Chungnam National University Hospital between June and December of 2013. 98 of total were non-drinkers, 225 of them flushers, and the rest 258 of them were non-flushers. One standard drink is defined as any drink that contains 14 grams of alcohol. Criteria for immoderate drinking was applied to greater than 14 glasses/week and more than 8 glasses on any day for a non-flush group with reference to the United States' guideline (National Institute in Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, NIAAA) and South Korean guideline, and it was also applied to greater than seven glasses/week, and more than four glasses on any day for a flushing group. It was to investigate whether immoderate drinking would be predictable according to increased mean corpuscular volume (MCV), decreased hemoglobin (Hb), and decreased platelet (PLT). Our investigation was to find the correlation with the increased MCV, decreased Hb, and decreased PLT as a means of predictions for immoderate drinking. The study was to examine the CBC's predictability of immoderate drinking through a combination of increased MCV, decreased Hb, or decreased PLT. If one of these three items were abnormal: group A, if two of the three items were abnormal: group B.
RESULTS
Predictability of group A was 23.1% in flushing drinkers and 21.7% in non-flushing drinkers for US NIAAA immoderate drinking, whereas 30.8% in flushing drinkers and 30.4% in non-flushing drinkers considering Korean guideline immoderate drinking. Predictability of B group was 100% in flushing and non-flushing drinkers for both NIAAA guidelines and Korean guidelines.
CONCLUSIONS
It is desirable for physicians to use any combination of the three CBC indicators (increased MCV, decreased Hb, or decreased PLT) for predicting immoderate drinking.

Keyword

Alcohol; Drinking; NIAAA

MeSH Terms

Adult
Alcoholism
Binge Drinking
Biomarkers
Blood Cell Count*
Blood Platelets
Chungcheongnam-do
Drinking*
Erythrocyte Indices
Eyeglasses
Flushing*
Glass
Humans
Male
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (U.S.)
Social Problems
Biomarkers

Reference

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