Validity of the CAGE questionnaire in schizophrenic patients with alcohol abuse and dependence
Received 18 July 2005; received in revised form 10 September 2005; accepted 14 September 2005.
Abstract
The objective of the study was to assess the sensitivity and the specificity of the CAGE questionnaire in 114 schizophrenic patients. The Composite International Diagnostic Interview was used to assess the DSM-III-R diagnosis of abuse of or dependence on alcohol. The CAGE questionnaire can be reliably used to assess alcohol use disorders in schizophrenic patients: with a cutoff score of 1 or more, the sensitivity of the CAGE questionnaire was 0.91 and the specificity was 0.83. With a cutoff score of 2 or more, the sensitivity of the CAGE questionnaire was 0.82 and the specificity was 0.94. The post test probabilities (PPV) were high (PPV1=0.74; PPV2=0.85) compared to the primary probability of alcoholism (29.8%).
aService d'addictologie, Centre Hospitalier Sainte-Anne, 1 Rue Cabanis, F 75014 Paris, France
bService de psychiatrie, BP 27, Centre hospitalier général, F 91401 Orsay, France
cINSERM EMI 0117, 2 ter rue d'Alésia 75014 Paris, France
dUniversité René Descartes (Paris V) Service Hospitalo-Universitaire de Santé Mentale et Thérapeutique Centre Hospitalier Sainte-Anne, 1 Rue Cabanis, F 75014 Paris, France
Corresponding author. Service d'addictologie, Centre Hospitalier Sainte-Anne, 1 Rue Cabanis, F 75014 Paris, France. Tel.: +33 1 45 65 80 64; fax: +33 1 45 65 88 32.
ABSTRACT