Alcohol, HIV, and morbidity

[Guest guest]

Had a call from an insurance company yesterday.

A few years ago, a bleary-eyed secretary at my urologist's office entered

" prostate cancer " in a diagnosis........which fortunately, I have not had. It

was a pretext to call me.

The disability agent told me that when he reviewed files, one thing really stood

out in people with HIV who were doing well, and those who were not doing well:

And abnormal GGT.

GGT is a liver enzyme, part of routine blood tests, which is very sensitive for

alcohol use. One martini, and your test goes up, reversably, fortunately.

I wonder how much is due to chronic alcohol consumption, and how much due to

various forms of hepatitis.

JB