ArticleAlcoholism, clinical and experimental research2015
Determining ethyl glucuronide cutoffs when detecting self-reported alcohol use in addiction treatment patients.
Article in Alcoholism, clinical and experimental research, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 26 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
26 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 42 citations in OpenAlex.
- Psychosocial interventions for people with both severe mental illness and substance misuse.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2019Pooled it
- Testing adaptations to contingency management for alcohol use disorders: A randomized controlled trial.Journal of consulting and clinical psychology · 2025Trial
- Financial incentives for reduced alcohol use and increased isoniazid adherence during tuberculosis preventive therapy among people with HIV in Uganda: an open-label, factorial randomised controlled trial.The Lancet. Global health · 2023Trial
- Trial
- Pilot investigation: randomized-controlled analog trial for alcohol and tobacco smoking co-addiction using contingency management.Behavioural pharmacology · 2018Trial
- A culturally-tailored behavioral intervention trial for alcohol use disorders in three American Indian communities: Rationale, design, and methods.Contemporary clinical trials · 2016Trial
- Using ethyl glucuronide in urine to detect light and heavy drinking in alcohol dependent outpatients.Drug and alcohol dependence · 2015Trial
- Investigating Secondary Alcohol Outcomes in a Contingency Management Intervention among American Indian and Alaska Native Adults.Journal of addiction medicineTrial
- Does a Biochemical Approach Facilitate the Diagnosis of Prenatal Alcohol Exposure and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder in Neonatal Period?International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- The global epidemiology of alcohol-associated liver disease.Hepatology communications · 2026Review
- Clinical trial design, biomarkers and end points in metabolic and alcohol-related liver disease.Nature reviews. Gastroenterology & hepatology · 2025Review
- Strong concordance and correlation between direct alcohol biomarkers and alcohol self-report among youth with variable drinking patterns.Drug and alcohol dependence · 2025Article
- Effects of a COVID-19 Public Health Lockdown on Drinking and Health Behavior Among Persons with HIV and with Unhealthy Alcohol use in Uganda.AIDS and behavior · 2023Article
- Acceptability and Feasibility of Wearable Transdermal Alcohol Sensors: Systematic Review.JMIR human factors · 2022Review
- Concordance Between Point-of-Care Urine Ethyl Glucuronide Alcohol Tests and Self-Reported Alcohol Use in Persons with HIV in Uganda.AIDS and behavior · 2022Article
- Automated Reinforcement Management System (ARMS): focused phase I provider feedback.Addiction science & clinical practice · 2022Article
- Development of Automated Reinforcement Management System (ARMS): Protocol for a Phase I Feasibility and Usability Study.JMIR formative research · 2021Article
- Intraindividual changes in brain GABA, glutamate, and glutamine during monitored abstinence from alcohol in treatment-naive individuals with alcohol use disorder.Addiction biology · 2020Article
- The roles of phosphatidylethanol, ethyl glucuronide, and ethyl sulfate in identifying alcohol consumption among participants in professionals health programs.Drug testing and analysis · 2020Article
- Using a randomized controlled trial to test whether modifications to contingency management improve outcomes for heavy drinkers with serious mental illness.Contemporary clinical trials · 2018Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
9 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundEthyl glucuronide (EtG) is an alcohol biomarker with potential utility as a clinical research and alcohol treatment outcome. Debate exists regarding the appropriate cutoff level for determining alcohol use, particularly with the EtG immunoassay. This study determined the EtG immunoassay cutoff levels that most closely correspond to self-reported drinking in alcohol-dependent outpatients.
methodsEighty adults with alcohol dependence and mental illness, taking part in an alcohol treatment study, provided urine samples 3 times per week for up to 16 weeks (1,589 samples). Self-reported drinking during 120 hours prior to each sample collection was assessed. Receiver operating characteristic analyses were conducted to assess the ability of the EtG immunoassay to detect self-reported alcohol use across 24- to 120-hour time periods. Sensitivity and specificity of EtG immunoassay cutoff levels was compared in 100 ng/ml increments (100 to 500 ng/ml) across 24 to 120 hours.
resultsOver half (57%) of the 1,589 samples indicated recent alcohol consumption. The EtG immunoassay closely corresponded to self-reported drinking from 24 (area under the curve [AUC] = 0.90, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.88, 0.92) to 120 hours (AUC = 0.88, 95% CI: 0.87, 0.90). When cutoff levels were compared across 24 to 120 hours, 100 ng/ml had the highest sensitivity (0.93 to 0.78) and lowest specificity (0.67 to 0.85). Relative to 100 ng/ml, the 200 ng/ml cutoff demonstrated a reduction in sensitivity (0.89 to 0.67), but improved specificity (0.78 to 0.94). The 300, 400, and 500 ng/ml cutoffs demonstrated the lowest sensitivity (0.86 to 0.33) and highest specificity (0.86 to 0.97) over 24 to 120 hours.
conclusionsFor detecting alcohol use for >24 hours, the 200 ng/ml cutoff level is recommended for use as a research and clinical outcome.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.