Ethyl glucuronide (EtG) and fatty acid ethyl esters (FAEEs) are included into hair because it grows. Analyzing hair samples can present a retrospective window into a person’s alcohol consumption over roughly 90 days, relying on the size of the hair pattern. Laboratory evaluation generates quantitative outcomes, usually expressed in picograms per milligram (pg/mg) for each EtG and FAEEs. These outcomes are sometimes interpreted utilizing established cutoff ranges to evaluate continual extreme alcohol use. Charts or tables could also be used to categorize these ranges, typically differentiating between social ingesting, average ingesting, and heavy or continual extreme ingesting. As an illustration, an EtG stage beneath a particular threshold would possibly point out abstinence or social ingesting, whereas larger ranges might recommend extra frequent and substantial alcohol consumption.
Any such testing provides a number of benefits over conventional strategies like blood or urine checks, which solely present a snapshot of latest alcohol use. It gives a longer-term perspective, making it priceless in conditions the place sustained abstinence is essential, reminiscent of monitoring people in restoration applications, assessing compliance with authorized mandates, or evaluating pre- and post-liver transplant sufferers. The event and refinement of those analytical strategies have enhanced the flexibility to detect patterns of alcohol consumption and supply extra goal knowledge for medical and forensic functions.
