[Hypothalamic-hypophyseal-gonadal axis in patients with liver cirrhosis of alcoholic origin]

Plasma levels of testosterone, 17-beta-oestradiol (E2), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone were estimated in 19 males with alcoholic cirrhosis and in 10 healthy age matched controls in basal conditions and after administration of clomiphene citrate. The gonadal hormone response is normal in the cirrhotic group after stimulation with clomiphene citrate, suggesting a normal functional reserve of the gonad of the cirrhotic patients. It is emphasized the direct damage that the alcohol produces in the Leydig cell.