Relationship between leptin and ghrelin with alcohol withdrawal and Craving in male alcohol dependent patients

Known to have negative effects on the course of alcohol addiction and treatment, etimology of craving include numerous neurochemical mechanisms. Based on the hypothesis that act of demand for food and alcholol craving have common neurobiology, it is aimed to explore the relationship with the leptin and ghrelin, which are appetite hormones, and the alcohol craving. Moreover, the relationship between the severity of the addiction to these hormones and the withdrawal syndrome is examined. For this study, during the period of 1 to 10 days and the first month, the blood samples of 54 male patients have been taken, and together with leptin and gherelin, the levels of ?prolaktin? and ?kortizol? that are thought to have dealings with this issue have been evaluated. As a conclusion of this study, an evident relation between the addiction severity, withdrawal severity and craving ratios was observed, while no direct relation was determined between the leptin and ghrelin levels and the first month of craving. The hypothesis that states the appetite hormones are trait marker for alcohol craving is not supported with this study. Nevertheless, future studies which evalute the relationship with withdrawal/detoksification period or long term soberness and these hormones, and investigate the effects of subtypes of alcohol addiction will provide us more decisive results. Thus, they will guide us to choose the most appropriate of the farmocologic agents used for craving for the patient, based on the distinct mechanism that is discovered.