IGF-I and IGFBP-3 before and after inpatient alcohol detoxification in alcohol-dependent subjects

BACKGROUND It is unclear whether alcohol detoxification has an effect on factors that are involved in growth, metabolic functions and cell proliferation. Alcohol abuse is associated with low IGF-I levels that tend to rise after alcohol withdrawal. There is a paucity of studies on the course of IGFBP-3 (the main binding protein for IGF-I) after alcohol detoxification. MATERIAL/METHODS We prospectively assessed IGF-I and IGFBP-3 changes at the time of admission and after 4 to 6 weeks of detoxification in an inpatient alcohol detoxification facility in 118 alcohol-dependent subjects given a regular hospital diet. No participants dropped out of the study. RESULTS Changes in IGF-I after alcohol detoxification showed a marked dimorphism in altered hepatic biochemistry upon admission, with a rise in those with normal liver enzymes upon admission (p = 0.016, Kruskall-Wallis) and a drop in those with elevated liver enzymes upon admission (p = 0.05); the latter was noted in subjects that had consumed alcohol close to the time of admission. Overall, however, IGF-I and IGFBP-3 were within normal limits for most subjects both upon admission and after alcohol detoxification; no significant differences were detected among the examined parameters in men vs. women, and there were no significant correlations of IGF-I, IGFBP-3 or the IGF-I/IGFBP-3 molar ratio with BMI or age. CONCLUSIONS Regardless of hepatic enzymes' elevation, alcohol detoxification had overall slight effects on IGF-I and IGFBP-3.