title: Thrombocytopenia in patients with chronic hepatitis C: a possible role of HCV on platelet progenitor cell maturation.
abstract: A total of 30 patients with chronic hepatitis C (HCV) thrombocytopenia (TP) and 20 healthy controls were studied. Both groups were subjected to complete medical history, clinical examination in addition to assessment of hepatitis markers: level of thrombopoietin (Tpo), Geimsa-stained bone marrow smears, and in vitro short-term megakaryocytic progenitors culture (CFU-MK). Serum Tpo level was significantly elevated in patients with TP HCV. Short-term CFU-MK showed an evident depression in the colony-forming unit-megakaryocyte (CFU-meg). There is a positive correlation between the number of CFU-meg and the platelet count and between serum Tpo level and prothrombin time, transaminase, albumin, and the Child Pugh score of liver disease; a negative correlation between serum Tpo level and the number of CFU-meg and between serum Tpo level and the platelet count. Thus, the level of Tpo could be an indicator of intact functional response of the hepatocytes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt.
authors.forename: Magdy A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: El Barbary
authors.forename: Alaa Eldin M
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Saad
authors.forename: Fadia M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Attia
authors.forename: Magda I
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Mandour
authors.forename: Mohamed A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Haidara
authors.forename: Mohammad M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Dallak
authors.forename: Esma R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Isenovic
mesh_terms: D001792:Blood Platelets / Q000502:physiology*; D003114:Colony-Forming Units Assay; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000502:physiology*; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D008533:Megakaryocytes / Q000502:physiology; D010976:Platelet Count; D011517:Prothrombin Time; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D013921:Thrombocytopenia / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000821:virology*; D013926:Thrombopoietin / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D013926:Thrombopoietin