ERYTHROCYTE THIAMINE (Th) ESTERS: A MAJOR FACTOR OF THE ALCOHOL WITHDRAWAL SYNDROME OR A CANDIDATE MARKER FOR ALCOHOLISM ITSELF?

Abstract

No association was found between AWS severity and Th and its esters, while the diagnostic power of thiamine diphosphate (TDP) and Th was very high. TDP was the most significant among the parameters under study, confirming that erythrocyte TDP is a suitable marker of alcoholism: TDP sensitivity across subjects was 84.1%, specificity 85.4%, positive predictive value 82.4%, and negative predictive value 88.0%.