Gastrointestinal hormones in alcoholic patients with and without liver disease

To assess the effects of both alcoholism and liver disease on gastroentero-pancreatic hormones, fasting and post-prandial concentrations were analysed in the following four groups: (1) Alcoholic subjects with liver disease; (2) Alcoholic subjects without liver disease; (3) Control subjects with liver disease; (4) Control subjects without liver disease. Liver disease was associated with increased fasting serum glucose, plasma insulin, pancreatic polypeptide, gastrin and vasoactive intestinal polypeptide. Alcoholism in the absence of liver disease did not influence either the fasting or post-prandial concentrations of serum glucose, plasma gastrin, insulin, pancreatic polypeptide, gastric inhibitory polypeptide, N- and C-terminal glucagon or vasoactive intestinal polypeptide. Alcoholism with liver disease depressed plasma gastric inhibitory polypeptide concentrations. The results suggest that the abnormalities in gastroenteropancreatic hormone in alcoholics are likely to be related to liver disease which is often concurrent.