Blood polymorphonuclear dysfunction in patients with alcoholic cirrhosis

Area of Science:

• Immunology
• Hepatology
• Cell Biology

Background:

• Cirrhosis, a severe liver disease, is associated with an increased susceptibility to infections.
• The role of polymorphonuclear leucocyte (PMN) function in this heightened infection risk is not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate polymorphonuclear leucocyte (PMN) function in patients with alcoholic and cryptogenic cirrhosis.
• To determine the prevalence and nature of PMN abnormalities in cirrhosis.
• To explore the potential link between PMN dysfunction and infection susceptibility in cirrhosis.

Main Methods:

• Assessed PMN function in 20 patients with alcoholic cirrhosis and 3 with cryptogenic cirrhosis.
• Measured bacterial ingestion, oxygen-dependent bactericidal capacity, and chemotactic response.
• Differentiated between serum-dependent and serum-independent PMN abnormalities.

Main Results:

• Common serum-dependent abnormalities included deficiencies in ingestion, oxygen-dependent metabolic events, cytochrome c reduction, and chemotaxis.
• Chemotactic deficiencies were observed in 14 out of 18 patients assessed.
• Less common serum-independent abnormalities included increased ingestion rate and decreased myeloperoxidase content.

Conclusions:

• Polymorphonuclear leucocyte (PMN) dysfunction is frequent in patients with cirrhosis.
• Both serum-dependent and serum-independent PMN abnormalities contribute to impaired immune function.
• These PMN abnormalities likely play a significant role in the increased susceptibility to infections seen in cirrhosis.