Patients with stable uncomplicated cirrhosis have normal neutrophil function.
BACKGROUND
Neutrophil function has been reported to be abnormal in patients with cirrhosis. In order to evaluate the relative contribution of hepatocellular dysfunction and portalsystemic shunting of blood to these abnormalities, neutrophil function was studied in 18 patients with cirrhosis and portal hypertension. Nine patients, with extrahepatic portal hypertension (EPH) caused by portal vein thrombosis, who had no clinical, biochemical or histologic evidence of liver disease were also studied.


METHODS
Superoxide generation, phagocytosis, degranulation, leukotriene B4 release, candidacidal activity and quantitative and qualitative expression of the cell surface adhesive marker CD11b/CD18 were measured in these patients as well as in age- and gender-matched controls.


RESULTS
Patients with cirrhosis were found to have a small but statistically significant decrease in the expression of the CD18 component of MAC1 in N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine-stimulated neutrophils (P = 0.04). No significant differences were found between either of the two patient groups and the control group for any of the other parameters of neutrophil function tested.


CONCLUSIONS
These were unexpected findings in the light of data published elsewhere, which indicate impaired neutrophil function in patients with cirrhosis. The study suggests that patients with stable, uncomplicated cirrhosis and patients with EPH have normal neutrophil function.
Kirsch
R
R
Medical Research Council/University of Cape Town Liver Research Center, Department of Medicine, University of Cape Town, Observatory, South Africa. richk@liver.uct.ac.za
Woodburne
V E
VE
Shephard
E G
EG
Kirsch
R E
RE
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D018845:CD11 Antigens / Q000378:metabolism; D018821:CD18 Antigens / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006975:Hypertension, Portal / Q000276:immunology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D007975:Leukotriene B4 / Q000378:metabolism; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D016177:Macrophage-1 Antigen / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000502:physiology*; D009195:Peroxidase / Q000378:metabolism; D010587:Phagocytosis; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase / Q000378:metabolism
D018845:CD11 Antigens; D018821:CD18 Antigens; D016177:Macrophage-1 Antigen; D007975:Leukotriene B4; D009195:Peroxidase; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase