CAGE Questionnaire for Alcohol Use

What is CAGE questionnaire?

The CAGE questionnaire is a set of four questions designed to screen for alcohol misuse and potential alcoholism. Unlike the Wells’ Criteria for DVT, which involves a scoring system with various points, the CAGE questionnaire is simpler in terms of scoring.

Here’s how it works:

CAGE Questions

• Have you ever felt you needed to Cut down on your drinking?
• Have people Annoyed you by criticizing your drinking?
• Have you ever felt Guilty about drinking?
• Have you ever felt you needed a drink first thing in the morning (Eye-opener) to steady your nerves or to get rid of a hangover?

Scoring

• Each “Yes” answer scores 1 point.
• Each “No” answer scores 0 points.

Interpretation

• A total score of 2 or more is considered clinically significant, indicating that the individual should be evaluated further for alcohol misuse or alcoholism.

References:

• Ewing JA. Detecting alcoholism. The CAGE questionnaire. JAMA. 1984 Oct 12;252(14):1905-7. doi: 10.1001/jama.252.14.1905. PMID: 6471323.
• Bernadt MW, Mumford J, Taylor C, Smith B, Murray RM. Comparison of questionnaire and laboratory tests in the detection of excessive drinking and alcoholism. Lancet. 1982 Feb 6;1(8267):325-8. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(82)91579-3. PMID: 6120322.