A. Frezzotti^a, G. Giordano^a, F. Cingolani^a, G. Mariani^b, A. Salvi^b

Laboratory of Chemical and Microbiological Analyses^a and Emergency Medicine^b
Azienda Ospedaliera “Umberto I” Torrette

Excessive alcohol consumption and abuse are widely observed around the world and contribute to high health care and social costs in developed as well as in developing countries (1,2). Excessive consumption of alcohol may lead to a variety of gastrointestinal, neurologic, cardiovascular and malignant diseases, being also a high-risk factor in all causes of death (3-5). However, alcohol related diseases are not observed in every individual who drinks hazardous amounts of alcohol. Many changes in biochemical and hematological laboratory values have been observed in habitual heavy drinkers. Some of those tests, such as MCV (6-8), serum GGT (9, 10) and AST (11) have been widely used as markers of alcohol abuse.