title: Thrombopoietin or interleukin-6 has no effect on thrombocytopenia of cirrhosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We aimed to compare the level of thrombocytopenia in cirrhotic patients with HBV and those with HCV, and to investigate whether the reduced serum level of IL-6 in patients with HCV is responsible for the lower platelet count compared to those with HBV through the effect on serum thrombopoietin level.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty-three patients with liver cirrhosis, 28 of who were HBV- seropositive (Group A), 25 of who were HCV- seropositive (Group B) and 15 healthy controls were enrolled in this study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Platelet count in group B [75 (1.5-99) K/microL] were lower than those of group A [140 (62-374) K/microL] (p < 0.001). The median levels of serum thrombopoietin in patients [group A: 31.9 (31-113) pg/mL and group B: 38.0 (31.2-102) pg/mL] and controls [31.3 (31-153) pg/mL] did not show statistically significant difference. The patients compared to controls, had higher serum IL-6 levels [3.6 (2-1150) vs. 2.0 (2-9.9) pg/mL], (p < 0.01), which showed similarity in group A and B patients [3.65 (2-1150) vs. 3.3 (2-45) pg/mL], (p=NS). Serum thrombopoietin level was not correlated with serum IL-6 levels in any group. Serum thrombopoietin and IL-6 levels had no relationship with platelet count and with Child-Pugh score.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study showed that cirrhotic patients with HCV had lower platelet count than those with HBV and controls, and this difference does not appear to be related with either serum thrombopoietin or IL-6 level.
authors.affiliation: Babkent University Faculty of Medicine, Divisions of Gastroenterology, Adana Teaching and Medical Research Center, Adana, Turkey. birolozer@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Birol
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ozer
authors.forename: Ender
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Serin
authors.forename: Nurzen
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sezgin
authors.forename: Arif
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cosar
authors.forename: Mustafa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Güclü
authors.forename: Gurden
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gur
authors.forename: Ugur
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Yilmaz
authors.forename: Sedat
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Boyacioglu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood*; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000150:complications / Q000821:virology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010976:Platelet Count; D013921:Thrombocytopenia / Q000209:etiology*; D013926:Thrombopoietin / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D015850:Interleukin-6; D013926:Thrombopoietin