Patients with stable uncomplicated cirrhosis have normal neutrophil function

Background: Neutrophil function has been reported to be abnormal in patient s with cirrhosis. In order to evaluate the relative contribution of hepatoc ellular dysfunction and portalsystemic shunting of blood to these abnormali ties, neutrophil function was studied in 18 patients with cirrhosis and por tal hypertension. Nine patients, with extrahepatic portal hypertension (EPH ) caused by portal vein thrombosis, who had no clinical, biochemical or his tologic evidence of liver disease were also studied. Methods: Superoxide generation, phagocytosis, degranulation, leuko triene B 4 release, candidacidal activity and quantitative and qualitative expressio n of the cell surface adhesive marker CD 11b/CD18 were measured in these pa tients as well as in age- and gender-marched controls. Results: Patients with cirrhosis were,found to have a small but statistical ly significant decrease in the expression of the CD is component of MAC1 in N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine-neutrophils (P = 0.04). No signifi cant differences were found between either of the two patient groups and th e control group for any of the other parameters of neutrophil function test ed. Conclusions: These were unexpected findings in the light of data published elsewhere, which indicate impaired neutrophil function in patients with cir rhosis. The study suggests that patients with stable, uncomplicated cirrhos is and patients with EPH have normal neutrophil function. (C) 2000 Blackwel l Science Asia Pty Ltd.