Carbohydrate-Deficient Transferrin (CDT) (%) details
What Carbohydrate-Deficient Transferrin (CDT) (%) shows
This test measures an abnormal form of transferrin (the iron-carrying blood protein) that increases specifically with heavy, sustained alcohol consumption — generally several drinks a day for at least a week or two. Unlike standard liver tests (like GGT or AST/ALT), which can be elevated by many different causes, elevated %CDT is fairly specific to significant recent alcohol intake, making it useful in situations where an objective marker of drinking is needed, such as certain medical, legal, or occupational evaluations. It isn't sensitive to light or moderate drinking and typically normalizes within a few weeks of abstinence, so it reflects fairly recent, heavy use rather than lifetime drinking history.
Tests that include Carbohydrate-Deficient Transferrin (CDT) (%)
This test is designed to investigate chronic alcohol abuse. Heavy alcohol use (defined as >4 or 5 beverages per day for two weeks or more) is commonly associated with elevated CDT levels.
- Carbohydrate-Deficient Transferrin (CDT) (%) A marker used to help detect heavy, sustained alcohol use over recent weeks.
Heavy alcohol use (defined as >4 or 5 beverages per day for two weeks or more) is commonly associated with elevated CDT levels as are certain liver diseases such as primary biliary cirrhosis and chronic active hepatitis and in some patients with genetic D variants of transferrin.
- Transferrin The main protein that transports iron in your blood. Used along with iron and ferritin to evaluate iron deficiency or overload.
- Carbohydrate-Deficient Transferrin (CDT) (%) A marker used to help detect heavy, sustained alcohol use over recent weeks.
- Carbohydrate-Deficient Transferrin (CDT) Measures carbohydrate-deficient transferrin, a blood marker that rises with sustained heavy alcohol use over several weeks.
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