Increased stable E rosette-forming cells in alcoholic liver disease

Circulating total E rosette-forming cells (E-RFC) and stable E-RFC (activated T cells) were studied in 10 patients with alcoholic hepatitis (AH), 15 with alcoholic cirrhosis (AC) and 20 normal controls. Total E-RFC were significantly reduced in AH and AC as compared to the controls. By contrast, both proportions and absolute numbers of stable E-RFC were significantly increased in AH and AC, the increase was greatest in AH. These findings represent evidence for abnormalities in T cell subpopulations in alcoholic liver disease and suggest that monitoring stable E-RFC may prove useful in assessing disease activity in AH.