Relationship Between Serum Thrombopoietin Level And Child-Pugh Grade In Patients With Liver Cirrhosis

AIMTo assess the relationship between serum thrombopoietin (TPO) level, platelet(PLT) and Child-Pugh grade in patients with liver cirrhosis.MATERIALS and METHODSOne hundred and nineteen liver cirrhotic patients (experimental group) and 30 healthy volunteers (control group) were included in the study. Serum TPO level was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Meanwhile, routine blood tests, blood biochemistry tests, detection of hepatitis virus markers, and color Doppler ultrasound examination of the liver were performed.RESULTSBased on clinical manifestations and laboratory examinations,43 patients were classified as having Child-Pugh class A cirrhosis,63 as having Child-Pugh class B cirrhosis, and 13 as having Child-Pugh class C. No significant difference was noted in serum TPO level between the control group and the experimental group. Patients with Child-Pugh class A cirrhosis had higher serum TPO level than normal controls (P= 0.19), while those with Child-Pugh class B or C cirrhosis had significantly lower serum TPO levels (43.44 ng/L±33.51 ng/L and 45.16 ng/L±30.04 ng/L, respectively; P= 0.001 and 0.048, respectively) than normal controls. Platelet counts (PLT) in patients with Child-Pugh class A, B or C cirrhosis were significantly lower than that in normal controls (all P< 0.001). Serum TPO was negatively correlated with PLT in normal controls (r=-0.363, P= 0.048). Although no correlation was noted between serum TPO and PLT in patients with Child-Pugh class A or C cirrhosis, a positive correlation was found between serum TPO and PLT in patients with Child-Pugh class B cirrhosis (r= 0.383, P= 0.002). CONCLUSIONReduced hepatic synthesis of TPO is important for the development of thrombocytopenia in cirrhotic patients. Serum TPO and PLT can be used as parameters for evaluation of liver function.