Due to the known adverse effects of unhealthy alcohol use on liver-related and all-cause morbidity and mortality, it is critical to accurately measure the spectrum of alcohol consumption. Even though PEth measures alcohol use in a shorter timeframe, we found that it enhanced detection of alcohol use when used in conjunction with AUDIT-C. In high-risk groups such as those infected with HCV or HIV+/HCV+ (co-infected), a group in which our data suggest greater likelihood of under-report of alcohol use, using PEth in combination with AUDIT-C can improve alcohol detection.
