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Phosphatidylethanol as Blood Biomarker of Alcohol Consumption in Early Pregnancy: An Observational Study in 4,067 Pregnant Women.

Author information

Affiliations

  • 1. Clinic of Substance Use and Addiction Medicine, St. Olav University Hospital, Trondheim, Norway.
      Authors
    • Finanger T 1, 2
    • Tømmervik K 1
    (2 authors)
  • 2. Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine, Norwegian University of Science and Technology - NTNU, Trondheim, Norway.
      Authors
    • Finanger T 1, 2
    • Spigset O 2, 4
    • Salvesen KÅB 2
    • Skråstad RB 2, 4
    (4 authors)
  • 3. Department of Research and Development, Division of Mental Health, St. Olav University Hospital, Trondheim, Norway.
      Authors
    • Gråwe RW 3
    (1 author)
  • 4. Department of Clinical Pharmacology, St. Olav University Hospital, Trondheim, Norway.
      Authors
    • Spigset O 2, 4
    • Andreassen TN 4
    • Løkken TN 4
    • Aamo TO 4
    • Skråstad RB 2, 4
    (5 authors)
  • 5. Clinic of Laboratory Medicine, St. Olav University Hospital, Trondheim, Norway.
      Authors
    • Bratt GE 5
    (1 author)
    • Show all (6)

ORCIDs linked to this article

Alcoholism, Clinical and Experimental Research, 13 Mar 2021, 45(4):886-892
https://doi.org/10.1111/acer.14577 PMID: 33586791 

Abstract 

Background

The teratogenic effects of alcohol are well documented, but there is a lack of screening methods to detect alcohol use during pregnancy. Phosphatidylethanol 16:0/18:1 (PEth) is a specific and sensitive biomarker reflecting alcohol intake up to several weeks after consumption. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of positive PEth values as an indicator of early prenatal alcohol exposure in a general population of pregnant women.

Methods

Rhesus typing is routinely performed in Norway in all pregnancies around gestational week 12. Rhesus-negative women have an additional test taken around week 24. Blood samples submitted to St. Olav University Hospital in Trøndelag, Norway, for Rhesus typing during the period September 2017 to October 2018 were collected. A total of 4,533 whole blood samples from 4,067 women were analyzed for PEth (limit of quantification of 0.003 µM).

Results

Fifty-eight women had a positive PEth sample. Of these, 50 women were positive around gestational week 12, 3 women were positive around week 24, and in 5 cases, the timing was unknown. There were no significant differences in proportions of women with positive PEth values related to age, or rural versus urban residency.

Conclusion

In an unselected pregnant population in Norway, 1.4% had a positive PEth sample around gestational week 12, whereas 0.4% had a positive sample around week 24. The use of PEth as an alcohol biomarker should be further investigated as a diagnostic tool in the antenatal setting.

Full text links 

Read article at publisher's site: https://doi.org/10.1111/acer.14577

Read article for free, from open access legal sources, via Unpaywall: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdfdirect/10.1111/acer.14577Unpaywall

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