High-density lipoprotein response to alcohol consumption and abstinence as an indicator of liver function in alcoholic patients.

A study of 36 alcoholic men admitted to hospital when intoxicated was undertaken to confirm the value of changes in the level of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) as an indicator of liver function in patients with chronic alcoholism. In the patients without severe liver disease the HDL level was high after the recent consumption of alcohol and usually dropped by 0.2 mmol/L or more after 1 or 2 weeks of abstinence. In contrast, in the patients with severe alcoholic liver disease the HDL level was initially low and generally remained low after abstinence.