High-density lipoprotein cholesterol in male alcoholics with and without severe liver disease.

In a study of 26 male alcoholics, the subgroup without severe liver disease showed significant elevation in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) in the immediate post-intoxication period: HDL levels decreased to control levels after one to two weeks of abstinence. Those patients with advanced liver disease failed to show this ethanol-induced rise in HDL. We were not able to correlate these observations with any variation in sex hormone levels, nutritional indices, age or quantity of alcohol intake. We concluded that ethanol consumption in alcoholics is associated with an increase in HDL levels, which is offset by the development of alcoholic liver disease.