Additional Diagnostic Markers of Alcohol Addiction Based On Complex Estimation of Addictive Status.

Abstract

The prevalence of alcohol addiction (AA) – one of the most pressing problems among addictive pathology. The massive spread of diverse subjects of abuse and dependence, both chemical and non-chemical, leads to intense interaction between them, as at the population level and at the individual level, to form complex combinations of comorbidities.

That why aims of study were a complex assessment of addictive status of individuals with AA and selection of associated non-alcoholic addictive phenomena as additional diagnostic markers of primary substance abuse disorder.

Objects

142 people were examined, including 71 patients with AA and 71 virtually healthy people.

System of AUDIT-like tests (including the actual test AUDIT) was used for complex assessment of addictive status. The data were processed by methods of mathematical statistics (analysis of variance, and the calculation of the coefficients and diagnostic measures informativeness of Kulback).

Figure 1

Informativeness of different addictions as markers of presence-absence of alcohol addiction.

As results was found that addictive status of people, who are alcohol addictive, is characterized by stable combination of'titular' AA with a range of non-alcoholic addictive phenomena of varying severity. It was shown that among all non-alcoholic addictive phenomena most informative as markers of the presence of alcohol addiction are: tobacco smoking, on the level of addiction and computer games as risky 'consumption'. Markers of absence of alcohol addiction were found keenness of reading and shopping in any grade, but weak informative.

Conclusion

selected comorbid addictions can be used as additional diagnostic markers of alcohol addictions.