Patients with stable uncomplicated cirrhosis have normal neutrophil function

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.

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.

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.

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.