Carbohydrate metabolism in patients with alcoholic liver cirrhosis
Kinalska, I.; Raimer, M.
Materia Medica Polona. Polish Journal of Medicine and Pharmacy 7(3): 200-203
1975
ISSN/ISBN: 0025-5246 PMID: 1177523 Document Number: 96070
To 19 patients with alcoholic liver cirrhosis and 30 control subjects with normal liver function and no abnormalities of carbohydrate metabolism 50 g glucose was given by mouth and glucagon, 2 mu g/kg bodyweight, by vein. Plasma insulin and blood glucose were monitored every 30 min for 2.5 h thereafter. In the patients with cirrhosis, higher values for plasma insulin were recorded after both glucose and glucagon, but the difference was greater in the response to glucose. Blood glucose also rose more in cirrhotic patients in both cases; after glucagon there was only a slight change in glucose levels in control, but a steep rise in cirrhotic subjects. It is inferred that the impairment of carbohydrate metabolism associated with alcoholic liver cirrhosis is similar to that resulting from cirrhosis due to other causes.