[TRH response in 53 patients with chronic alcoholism (author's transl)]

A study of thyroid function was undertaken in 53 patients with chronic alcoholism the following tests were performed: T3 RIA, T4 RIA, T3 test and I.V. TRH-test. The patients were divided into 3 groups according to the degree of liver injury: histologically documented fibrosteatosis (group 1), cirrhosis (group 2); group 3 consisted of severe cirrhosis with coagulation defects precluding liver biopsy. 32 healthy subjects served as controls. Free thyroxine index was normal in the 3 groups of patients; on the contrary, serum T3 RIA was significantly reduced in the 2nd and the 3rd group. The decrease of T3 correlated with the degree of hepatocellular failure. TRH test was almost always normal. If patients are separated into two groups according to their circulating T3 levels, it appears that subjects with low T3 show a TRH-induced increase in TSH lower than in the other group, but not significantly different from normal subjects, suggesting an inadequate hypothalamic reactivity.