Prognostic significant of functional defects of granulocytes in myeloproliferative disease

Patients suffering from myeloproliferative diseases are frequently susceptible to infection. We studied granulocyte function and cytogenetics in 32 patients with different myeloproliferative syndromes. In vivo granulocyte function was studied in 10 patients using the skin window technique. Our data demonstrate a deficit in chemotaxis (p less than 0.001) which does not seem to correlate with any specific chromosomal anomaly. Patients showing a deficit in myeloperoxidase activity, phagocytosis, O2- production or NBT reduction also had a much lower median survival with respect to other patients treated with the same protocol but without these deficits (p less than 0.01). By conducting granulocyte function studies at diagnosis one may therefore isolate those patients with an increased risk of contracting infections and a decreased probability of complete remission.