This article examines the difficulties in defining accurate parameters for defining excessive drinkers. It looks first at gamma glutamyl-transferase (GGT) sensitivity, its reference values and the definition of an alcoholic, and then at the application of GGT to accident research. A study was made in 1982 of all casualties admitted to the Surgery Emergency Unit at Tours Hospital, which included records of Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) and GGT for 2, 778 subjects, 75% male and 25% female. Of these cases, 33.4% of the men were involved in road accidents and 44.1% of the women. The proportion of subjects with a high GGT rises from 18.2% for the male subjects with low BAC on admission to 60.3% for males with BAC equal to or greater than 2 grams/litre; for female subjects the figures are from 6.7% with low BAC on admission to 66.7% with BAC equal to or greater than 2 grams/litre.
Abstract