Alcoholism: its effect on hypothalamic pituitary gonadal function

Abstract

Both as the result of liver disease and of alcoholism per se, chronic alcoholics develop infertility, sterility, gonadal atrophy, hypoandrogenization, and feminization. The hypothalamic-pituitary abnormalities associated with alcoholism include hyperprolactenemia-increased estrogen-stimulated neurophysin levels, suppressed secretion of plasma gonadotropins, and loss of gonadotropin reserve. Several of the possible mechanisms potentially responsible for the development of these endocrine abnormalities have been discussed. The rational for suspecting that alcohol might interfere with either vitamin A metabolism of alter the redox state of the testes, thus affecting germ cell proliferation and steroidogenesis, has been presented. A possible mechanism for the sexual changes observed in chronic alcoholic men has been proposed. Much work remains to be done in this area before a complete understanding of the pathogenesis of these phenomena is obtained. The omission of any consideration of the effects of alcohol on sexual function in women is an admission of gross ignorance greatly in need of rectification. The necessity for couching a description of even the natural history of the syndrome in alcoholic men in conditional terms is a reflection of the limited state of the art. Nevertheless, it behooves the gastroenterologist, who is frequently called upon to be the primary physician for alcoholic men, to keep abreast of the nongastrointestinal medical consequences of alcohol addiction so that they can be recognized early and incorporated into long range medical planning designed to care for the chronic alcoholic patient.