Persistent disturbance of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis in abstinent alcoholic men.

Aims: Testosterone synthesis in chronic alcoholics is affected by a variety of mechanisms. Little is known about the reversibility of these changes upon abstinence and available data on circulating hormone levels are incomplete and inconsistent.

Methods: Serum concentrations of free testosterone, total testosterone, and luteinizing hormone (LH) were determined in 18 male non-cirrhotic chronic alcoholics on days 2, 22, 82 and 127 of strictly controlled abstinence, as well as in a group of 20 healthy age-matched controls.