Limits of usual biochemical alcohol markers in cord blood at term: a fetal/maternal population-based study

• Published in: Clinical chemistry and laboratory medicine Vol. 45; no. 4; p. 546
• Main Authors: Gallot, Denis, de Chazeron, Ingrid, Boussiron, Didier, Ughetto, Sylvie, Vendittelli, Françoise, Legros, Franz J, Roszyk, Laurence, Llorca, Pierre-Michel, Lemery, Didier, Sapin, Vincent
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Germany 01-01-2007
• Subjects: Biomarkers - blood; Ethanol - blood; Female; Fetal Blood - chemistry; Humans; Infant, Newborn; Neonatal Screening; Pregnancy; Prospective Studies
• ISSN: 1434-6621
• DOI: 10.1515/CCLM.2007.098

After maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy, many neonates affected by less apparent forms of fetal alcohol syndrome disorder (FASD) do not receive proper diagnosis or treatment. There is thus a need for laboratory markers for early detection of alcohol-exposed neonates. The aim of our study was to assess the efficiency of the usual alcohol biomarkers measured in cord blood to identify alcohol-exposed neonates immediately after birth.
A 1-year study was conducted in the labor wards of the maternity units of the Auvergne, Central France at the time of term delivery. The patients answered an anonymous self-completion survey concerning alcohol use (Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test; AUDIT) during their pregnancy. Aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, and gamma-glutamyltransferase concentrations and the percentage of carbohydrate-deficient transferrin were measured in maternal and cord blood.
We collected 870 maternal-fetal sample pairs. Two cases (0.2%) of typical FASD were detected. We report a non-significant correlation between maternal and cord blood biomarkers. None of the cord blood biomarkers differed significantly between newborns of alcohol-exposed and unexposed mothers.
We demonstrate that the usual alcohol biomarkers are not effective in cord blood for identifying alcohol-exposed neonates.