Hyperglucagonaemia in Cirrhosis. Relationship to Hepatocellular Damage

Overview

Journal Diabetologia

Specialty Endocrinology

Date 1980 Aug 1

PMID 7418964

Citations 6

Authors

G Smith-Laing

H Orskov

M B GORE

S Sherlock

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Plasma glucagon and growth hormone concentrations were measured fasting and after oral glucose in 19 patients with portal vein block with extensive portal-systemic shunting but minimal liver cell damage, 11 cirrhotic patients and 12 matched control subjects. Portal vein block patients and controls had similar fasting glucose and glucagon levels (glucose 3.8 +/- 0.1 mmol/l VS control 3.4 +/- 0.1 mmol/l (mean +/- SEM); glucagon 57.5 +/- 9.1 pg/ml VS control 51.3 +/- 7.8 pg/ml). Cirrhotic patients were hyperglycaemic (cirrhosis 4.3 +/- 0.2 mmol/l VS control 3.4 +/- 0.1 mmol/l, p < 0.01) with significantly elevated glucagon levels (167.3 +/- 61.1 pg/ml VS control 51.3 +/- 7.8 pg/ml, p < 0.05), which suppressed towards control values after oral glucose. There was no correlation between fasting plasma glucagon levels and the degree of portal-systemic shunting in cirrhotic patients. There was a strong correlation between fasting plasma glucagon concentrations and aspartate transaminase levels (r = 0.68; p < 0.01) in cirrhotic and portal vein block patients. Significant elevations of growth hormone were seen only in cirrhotic patients. It is concluded that hyperglucagonaemia is a feature of hepatocellular damage rather than portal-systemic shunting but the relationship between elevated glucagon and growth hormone concentrations and carbohydrate intolerance in cirrhosis remains unclear.

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