April 11, 2024
Several major medical organizations recommend routine screening for unhealthy alcohol use. Alcohol is the most commonly abused drug in the world, and excessive alcohol use is the leading preventable cause of death in the United States. The preferred screening approach for ethanol — the chemical term for alcohol — measures certain substances that the body produces when ethanol is metabolized. The direct ethanol metabolites (i.e., ethyl glucuronide and ethyl sulfate) currently used for alcohol testing can be detected in urine for up to five days.
PETH measures a different alcohol metabolite, known as phosphatidylethanol (PEth), in blood. “This new and stable biomarker gives a window of detection of approximately two to four weeks in blood. The window can be longer in individuals who chronically or excessively consume alcohol.
Our dry spot blood based ultrasensitive method using Tandem Mass Spectrometry technique at Carolina Diagnostic Labs can detect and confirm the accurate traces of phospatidylethanol (PEth).