Magnesium, parathyroid hormone and osteocalcin in the sera of hospitalized patients with chronic alcoholism

Levels of parathyroid hormone (PTH) and osteocalcin in hypomagnesemic sera of chronic alcoholism patients were carried out to evaluate the roles of chronic alcohol poisoning on bone metabolism. Serum gamma-GTP activity showed inverse relationships among serum Mg and osteocalcin in these patients and PTH levels were also more decreased in these patients than in healthy subjects. These results indicated that the direct actions of alcohol might be brought about by the deterioration of bone metabolism, due to the decrease of serum PTH and osteocalcin levels by chronic alcohol poisoning.