Abstract
Objectives:Alcoholism is an important health problem all over the world. Biochemical tests are important tools in diagnosing alcohol abuse and identifying the stages of alcoholic liver disease. This study is an attempt to describe the biochemical changes that can be observed in individuals with history of significant alcohol intake as well as to correlate the quantity and duration of alcohol consumption with derangements in the liver function tests. Methods:Fifty males with history of alcohol consumption in significant quantity were included in the study and were interviewed for the quantity and duration of alcohol consumption. Liver function tests which included estimation of serum albumin, globulin, AST, ALT, prothrombin time and bilirubin were done. Derangements in liver function tests were observed and correlated with the quantity and duration of alcohol consumption. Results:Of the 50 individuals, 40% had hypoalbuminemia, 28% had hyperglobulinemia; the percentage of patients with elevated AST,ALT, ALP, bilirubin and prolonged prothrombin time were 42%, 8%, 12%,40% and 28% respectively. 76% had ratio of AST to ALT more than 1 with 40% having more than 2. Karl- Pearson correlation correlation for quantity of alcohol consumption with albumin, blumin, SGPT, bilirubin and prothrombin time was -0.497, 0.519, 0.440, 0.354 and 0.380 with p value 0.00, 0.00, 0.001, 0.012 and 0.007 respectively. The ‘r’ value for duration of alcohol with albumin and bilirubin was - 0.485 and 0.486 with a p value of 0.00 and 0.00 respectively. Conclusion: There was a statistically significant positive correlation between quantity of alcohol consumption and serum levels of globulin, SGPT, bilirubin and prothrombin time. Where as for serum albumin levels there was a negative correlation. There was a statistically significant correlation between duration of alcohol consumption with albumin, which is negative and bilirubin, positively.
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