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Test Code CDTA Carbohydrate Deficient Transferrin, Adult, Serum

Reporting Name

Carb Def Transferrin, Adult, S

Useful For

Indicating chronic alcohol abuse

 

This test is not appropriate for screening patients for congenital disorders of glycosylation.

Performing Laboratory

Mayo Clinic Laboratories in Rochester

Specimen Type

Serum


Ordering Guidance


This test is for evaluation of alcohol abuse. If the ordering physician is looking for congenital disorders of glycosylation, order CDG / Carbohydrate Deficient Transferrin for Congenital Disorders of Glycosylation, Serum.



Necessary Information


1. Patient's age is required.

2. Reason for testing is required if patient is younger than 21 years.



Specimen Required


Collection Container/Tube:

Preferred: Serum gel

Acceptable: Red top

Submission Container/Tube: Plastic vial

Specimen Volume: 0.1 mL

Collection Instructions: Centrifuge and aliquot serum into a plastic vial.


Specimen Minimum Volume

0.05 mL

Specimen Stability Information

Specimen Type Temperature Time Special Container
Serum Frozen (preferred) 45 days
  Refrigerated  28 days
  Ambient  7 days

Reference Values

≤0.10

0.11-0.12 (indeterminate)

Day(s) Performed

Wednesday

Test Classification

This test was developed and its performance characteristics determined by Mayo Clinic in a manner consistent with CLIA requirements. It has not been cleared or approved by the US Food and Drug Administration.

CPT Code Information

82373

LOINC Code Information

Test ID Test Order Name Order LOINC Value
CDTA Carb Def Transferrin, Adult, S 53803-3

 

Result ID Test Result Name Result LOINC Value
31714 Mono-oligo/Di-oligo Ratio 35469-6
31715 Interpretation 59462-2

Clinical Information

Chronic alcoholism causes a transient change in the glycosylation pattern of transferrin where the relative amounts of disialo- and asialotransferrin (carbohydrate deficient transferrin: [CDT]) are increased over the amount of normally glycosylated tetrasialotransferrin. This recognition led to the use of CDT in serum as a marker for chronic alcohol abuse.

 

CDT typically normalizes within several weeks of abstinence of alcohol use. However, it is important to recognize that there are other causes of abnormal CDT levels, which include congenital disorders of glycosylation and other genetic and nongenetic causes of acute or chronic liver disease.

 

CDT testing alone is not recommended for general screening for alcoholism; however, when combined with other methods (ie, gamma-glutamyltransferase, mean corpuscular volume, patient self-reporting, ethylglucuronide analysis), clinicians can expect to identify the majority of patients who consume a large amount of alcohol.

Interpretation

Patients with chronic alcoholism may develop abnormally glycosylated transferrin isoforms (ie, carbohydrate deficient transferrin: CDT >0.12). CDT results from 0.11 to 0.12 are considered indeterminate.

 

Patients with liver disease due to genetic or nongenetic causes may also have abnormal results.

Cautions

This assay has not been fully validated for the investigation of alcoholism.

 

Carbohydrate deficient transferrin (CDT) testing alone is not recommended for general screening for alcoholism. Analysis of more than one biomarker is recommended to avoid misinterpretation of results.

 

The abnormal transferrin isoform pattern in patients with chronic alcoholism is similar to that observed in congenital disorders of glycosylation (CDG). However, unlike most patients with CDG, the relative amount of monoglycosylated transferrin is much lower. Other conditions such as hereditary fructose intolerance, galactosemia, and liver disease may result in increased levels of CDT. In addition, preanalytic variables such as bacterial contamination may cause falsely elevated CDT values. Several factors may cause variability in CDT analysis, including ethnicity, gender, pregnancy, body mass index, smoking, blood pressure, iron metabolism, drug interactions, chronic medical illness.

Report Available

3 to 9 days

Reject Due To

Gross hemolysis OK
Gross lipemia OK
Gross icterus OK

Method Name

Affinity Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (MS)

Forms

If not ordering electronically, complete, print, and send a Therapeutics Test Request (T831) with the specimen.