ETHYLGLUCURONIDE

Ethylglucuronide (EtG) was described as early as the 1950's, however, clinical use of the test as an alcohol marker began in 2001 when Dr. Friedrich Wurst, in Switzerland, and Dr. Gregory Skipper, in the USA reported a study of alcoholics in a psychiatric facility in Germany. Their findings demonstrated that EtG was a more sensitive and reliable indicator of both drinking and abstinence than was urine alcohol. Dr. Skipper recognized that urine EtG would be a valuable test in monitoring professionals. The Federation of State Physician Health Programs estimates that over 9,000 physicians are in monitoring in the USA and a majority have abused alcohol. An essential issue in justifying the continued safe practice of recovering physicians involves the ability to reliably document their abstinence... As EtG and EtS testing gained wider use, several important issues began to emerge that frame the complexities of interpreting these tests. It's important to understand their limitations, as..