Liver Cirrhosis and Circadian Rhythm
Authors: Doron Garfinkel
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1996)

Letters15 July 1996Liver Cirrhosis and Circadian RhythmDoron Garfinkel, MD and Nava Zisapel, PhDDoron Garfinkel, MDThe E. Wolfson Medical Center, Holon 58100, IsraelTel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel and Nava Zisapel, PhDThe E. Wolfson Medical Center, Holon 58100, IsraelTel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, IsraelAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-125-2-199607150-00023 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:We read with interest the article by Steindl and colleagues [1]. The authors thoroughly assessed 24-hour plasma melatonin levels and showed that significantly higher levels persisted throughout daytime hours in patients with liver cirrhosis.Several points deserve further consideration. We agree that disruption of the diurnal rhythm of melatonin probably has clinical implications and may in part explain the high incidence of sleep disturbances in cirrhotic patients. However, Steindl and colleagues' attempt to correlate plasma melatonin profile to sleep patterns by using sleep diaries seems unreliable. The subjective quality of sleep may not correlate with objective measures ...References1. Steindl PE, Finn B, Bendok B, Rothke S, Zee PC, Blei AT. Disruption of the diurnal rhythm of plasma melatonin in cirrhosis. Ann Intern Med. 1995; 123:274-7. Google Scholar2. Brooks JO, Friedman L, Bliwise DL, Yesavage JA. Use of wrist actigraph to study insomnia in older adults. Sleep. 1993; 16:151-5. Google Scholar3. Garfinkel D, Laudon M, Nof D, Zisapel N. Improvement of sleep quality in elderly people by controlled-release melatonin. Lancet. 1995; 346:541-4. Google Scholar4. Arendt J, Bojkowski C, Franey C, Wright J, Marks V. Immunoassay of 6-hydroxymelatonin sulphate in human plasma and urine: abolition of the urinary 24-hour rhythm with atenolol. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1985; 60:1166-73. Google Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: The E. Wolfson Medical Center, Holon 58100, IsraelTel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics Cited ByThermodynamic Aspects and Reprogramming Cellular Energy Metabolism during the Fibrosis ProcessPrevalence of Insomnia and Sleep Patterns among Liver Cirrhosis PatientsDopamine from cirrhotic liver contributes to the impaired learning and memory ability of hippocampus in minimal hepatic encephalopathyCircadian Rhythms in Liver Physiology and Liver DiseasesLoss of clock gene mPer2 promotes liver fibrosis induced by carbon tetrachlorideGlutamate-induced activation of nitric oxide synthase is impaired in cerebral cortex in vivo in rats with chronic liver failureContribution of altered signal transduction associated to glutamate receptors in brain to the neurological alterations of hepatic encephalopathyCirrhosis does not shift the circadian phase of plasma fibrinolysisMethicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections 15 July 1996Volume 125, Issue 2Page: 154KeywordsBlood plasmaCirrhosisElderlyHormonesLiverMelatoninMetabolitesPolysomnographySleepTryptophan Issue Published: 15 July 1996 CopyrightCopyright © 1996 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF DownloadLoading ...