Transient suppression of growth hormone secretion after chronic ethanol intake.

Fifty-two percent of patients with chronic heavy intake of ethanol had an abnormally low growth hormone (GH) response to propranolo-glucagon. The effect of ethanol is transient, since the GH response was normal in patients studied 2 wk or more after withdrawal of ethanol. The low GH response was not due to a difference in the levels of glucose or insulin. Ethanol probably suppresses the GH response by acting on the hypothalamus or pituitary gland. Along with previous data suggesting transient ACTH deficiency in chronic alcoholic patients, our findings suggest that these patients may have multiple hypothalamic-pituitary deficiencies.