SEX-HORMONES DURING ALCOHOL-WITHDRAWAL - A LONGITUDINAL-STUDY OF 29 MALE ALCOHOLICS DURING DETOXIFICATION

It is a well-known fact that alcohol affects sex hormone levels in mal es. Even in the absence of liver dysfunction, there is still a direct toxic effect of ethanol on testosterone synthesis resulting in acutely decreased values. This study is based on 29 male alcoholics without s evere signs of liver disease treated on the alcohol detoxification war d at Huddinge hospital in Stockholm, Sweden during 1995. The aim was t o study levels of sex hormones in male alcoholics during detoxificatio n with benzodiazepines and after 3 weeks of sobriety. Blood samples we re taken three times: one day after admission (day 2) when the patient was sober, at discharge (day 5) and after 3 weeks of sobriety (day 21 ). Levels of testosterone and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) show ed the same pattern during detoxification and follow-up. They were bot h low, but generally within normal limits, on days 2 and 5, but raised after 3 weeks of sobriety. Follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and lut einizing hormone (LH) were initially high, but were substantially depr essed during detoxification. Levels of FSH recovered after 3 weeks, wh ereas LH remained at the same level. Most patients exhibited generally low levels of both FSH and LH, however. Levels of oestrone decreased steadily. There were no correlations between levels of sex hormones an d the number of milligrams of oxazepam administered to the patients du ring detoxification either at admission, at discharge or at follow-up. In summary, the endocrinological response to alcohol intake is comple x. This study suggests that the duration of endocrinological recovery after drinking is a quite long-lasting process, that different hormone s need different times to recover and that the normal glandular-pituit ary feed-back processes may be partly put out of order.