The hormonal pattern in alcoholic disease. I. Luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and testosterone.

The study included 48 male chronic alcoholics, aged 20 through 50 years, classified in two groups according to the presence (22 patients) or absence (26 patients) of clinically evident sexual disorders. The blood samples were collected the first 2-3 days after hospitalization, before any anti-alcoholic treatment. The control group included 10 adult male normal subjects. By comparison to the control group, the basal level of LH was significantly (p less than 0.01) lower in both groups of alcoholic patients while the FSH level was significantly higher (p less than 0.01) in the group with sexual disorders. The serum levels of testosterone were increased (p less than 0.05) only in the group having sexual disorders. Our data suggest that the feedback regulation of the hypophyseal LH release seems to be impaired by defects in the peripheral metabolization of testosterone.