Reduction of virus burden-induced splenectomy in patients with liver cirrhosis related to hepatitis C virus infection.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the hepatitis C virus (HCV) levels and immunological markers in cirrhotic patients after splenectomy.


METHODS
HCV RNA titers as well as cellular and humoral immune markers were determined in 20 cirrhotic patients after splenectomy and in 32 cirrhotic controls with an intact spleen.


RESULTS
Serum HCV RNA titers were lower in the splenectomized patients than in the controls (186+/-225 x 10(3)copies/mL vs 541+/-417 x 10(3) copies/mL, P<0.01). HCV RNA was judged to have been spontaneously eradicated in 4 splenectomized patients, but in none of the controls. Natural killer cell activity was higher in the splenectomized patients than in the controls (41.2+/-19.3% vs 24.7+/-15.3%, P<0.01), and natural killer cell activity was negatively correlated to HCV RNA titers in the splenectomized patients except in those with serotype 2-related infection. The CD4/CD8 ratio was significantly lower in the splenectomized patients than in the controls.


CONCLUSIONS
The findings suggest that splenectomy may diminish virus burden in cirrhotic patients with HCV infection at least in part, through augmentation of natural killer cell activity.
Sekiguchi
Tetsuro
T
Department of Medicine and Molecular Science, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, Maebashi, Japan.
Nagamine
Takeaki
T
Takagi
Hitoshi
H
Mori
Masatomo
M
D000368:Aged; D016516:CD4-CD8 Ratio; D005260:Female; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000276:immunology / Q000601:surgery* / Q000821:virology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D013156:Splenectomy; D019562:Viral Load
D012367:RNA, Viral