[Usefulness of hydrocortisone test for assessment of bone marrow reserve in neutrophils]

The activity of lysozyme and unsaturated binding capacity of vitamin B12 in the serum were determined in hydrocortisone test for calculating the reserve of granulocytes in bone marrow. A significant rise in the count of neutrophils in peripheral blood 3 hours after the beginning of the test was not associated with statistically significant changes in the determined parameters. This in an evidence that prolongation of the survival of cells in the circulation as one of the mechanisms of corticosteriod action on the granulocyte system is without any greater importance. This is connected, most probably, with short duration of the test. The rise of neutrophil count in peripheral blood after hydrocortisone administration may be regarded, therefore, as a measure of the value of one marrow reserve of these cells.