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Exams and Tests

The diagnosis of alcoholism is generally made by reviewing the person's behavior except when the person has symptoms of withdrawal or damage to organs as a result of alcohol consumption.

Alcoholism, as defined, is the consumption of alcohol to the point at which it interferes with the individual's life from an occupational, social, or health standpoint. It follows that behavior exhibited by an alcoholic can be interpreted in different ways by different people. This often makes the diagnosis of alcoholism somewhat difficult.

• Several screening tests are routinely employed by many health care professionals to identify people at risk for alcoholism. Such tests usually consist of 1 or more questionnaires. Commonly used tests are the Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (MAST), the TACE questionnaire, and the CAGE questionnaire.
  
  
  • The CAGE questionnaire, for example, asks the following 4 questions. "Yes" answers to 2 or more of these questions indicate a high likelihood of alcoholism.
    
    
    • Have you felt you should Cut down on your drinking?
      
      
    • Have people Annoyed you by criticizing your drinking?
      
      
    • Have you felt bad or Guilty about your drinking?
      
      
    • Have you ever had to drink first thing in the morning to steady your nerves or get rid of a hangover (Eye-opener)?
    
    
  • The TACE questionnaire is very similar. It also asks 4 questions. The more "yes" answers a person has to these questions, the higher the likelihood of this person drinking excessively.
    
    
    • How many drinks does it Take to get you high?
      
      
    • Have people Annoyed you by criticizing your drinking?
      
      
    • Have you ever felt you ought to Cut down on your drinking?
      
      
    • Have you ever had a drink first thing in the morning to steady your nerves (Eye opener)?
  
  
• The doctor may draw blood to evaluate it for liver functions, anemia, and electrolyte levels (blood chemistry levels). Alcoholics often have elevated liver function tests, which indicate liver damage. Gamma glutamyl transferase is the most sensitive liver function test. It can be elevated after only a few weeks of excess alcohol consumption. Alcoholics may also have anemia (low blood count), as well as electrolyte disturbances including low potassium, low magnesium, and low calcium.
  
  
• Often the initial visit with a doctor is for medical or surgical complications of alcohol consumption. In those cases the doctor will perform and order additional tests depending on the symptoms (for example, abdominal pain, heart failure, alcohol withdrawal, or cirrhosis).