Risher-Flowers D, Adinoff B, Ravitz B, Bone G H, Martin P R, Nutt D, Linnoila M
Division of Intramural Clinical and Biological Research, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Bethesda, MD 20892.
Adv Alcohol Subst Abuse. 1988;7(3-4):37-41. doi: 10.1300/J251v07n03_06.
The authors have investigated the function of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis during and after withdrawal from alcohol. 24 hour rhythms of cortisol were abnormal in that elevated levels were seen throughout the day in patients with moderate to severe, but not mild, withdrawal. This abnormality of circadian secretion of cortisol, which is similar to that seen in Cushing's syndrome and post-operative trauma, returned to normal after a period of one week of abstinence on their in-patient ward. Such excessive secretion of cortisol may explain some of the complications of chronic alcoholism.
作者们研究了下丘脑 - 垂体 - 肾上腺皮质（HPA）轴在戒酒期间及戒酒后的功能。皮质醇的24小时节律异常，表现为中重度而非轻度戒酒患者全天皮质醇水平升高。这种皮质醇昼夜分泌异常类似于库欣综合征和术后创伤所见，在患者住院一周戒酒后恢复正常。皮质醇的这种过度分泌可能解释了慢性酒精中毒的一些并发症。
