Assessment of the Threshold Concentration of Ethyl Glucuronide in Hair for Diagnosing Chronic Alcohol use in Women: A Study in a Belarusian Clinical Cohort

Aims: To determine the threshold concentration of Ethyl Glucuronide (EtG) in hair for diagnosing chronic alcohol use in women. Methods: The study involved 15 alcohol-dependent women undergoing inpatient treatment for chronic alcohol use at the Grodno regional clinical center “Psychiatry-Narcology” (Belarus). The control group consisted of 15 moderately drinking representatives of the general population. The EtG level was assessed in the proximal 3-cm segment of scalp hair as per SoHT guidelines for alcohol marker detection. EtG concentration was determined by high-performance liquid chromatography – tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS). Results: At a threshold concentration of 38 pg/mg, the sensitivity, specificity, Positive Predictive Value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV) of the result were 93%, 92%, 98%, 90%, respectively. Conclusion: EtG is a reliable biochemical marker of chronic alcohol use in women. The relatively small sample size is a limitation and should be considered when interpreting the findings.