Markers to detect drinking during pregnancy

Detecting alcohol use among pregnant women is an important step toward preventing alcohol-related birth defects. A biomarker that could detect alcohol use during pregnancy would aid in earlier identification and intervention for affected infants. The existing potential biomarkers for identifying alcohol use during pregnancy can detect varying degrees of alcohol exposure, or use. However, further research is needed to evaluate these biomarkers. KEY WORDS: AODR (alcohol- or other drug-related) biological markers; pregnancy; fetal alcohol effects; birth defects; ethanol metabolism; oxidation; cytochrome P450 2E1; carbohydrate-deficient transferrin; gamma glutamyl transferase; specificity and sensitivity of measurement; medical ethics Alcohol use during pregnancy is a significant public health problem. Approximately 14 to 22.5 percent of women report drinking some alcohol during pregnancy (see Stratton et al. 1996). Most women who drink before becoming pregnant either drasti cally reduce their consumption or com pletely stop drinking once they ar