A Study of Changes in Hematological Parameters In Alcoholic Liver Disease.

Abstract

Background: Alcohol is considered to be one the most commonly consumed drug substances which causes injury to the heath by altering the body metabolism. Alcohol consumption affects various systems which includes hepatobiliary system, gastrointestinal system, nervous system, cardiovascular system and genitourinary system. Liver is one of the primarily affected organs due to alcohol consumption leading to alcoholic liver disease. Alcoholic liver disease may include alcoholic fatty liver, alcoholic hepatitis to the severe form of alcoholic liver cirrhosis. The changes in the hematological parameters is an important indicator of the severity of the disease process. Aim: To assess the changes in hematological parameters in patients with alcoholic liver disease. Materials and Methods: The study was done on a total of 70 patients clinically diagnosed as Alcoholic liver disease admitted in the Department of Medicine. The values of Hemoglobin (Hb) levels, Red blood cell (RBC) count, Packed cell volume (PCV), Mean corpuscular volume (MCV), Mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), Mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), Total count, Differential count and Platelet count were analysed using the fully automated hematology analyser (Sysmex XN1000- Sysmex Corporation, Kobe, Japan). The values of coagulation profile- Prothrombin time (PT) and Activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) were also analysed using the coagulometer (ACL elite Pro). Results: Sample size of 70 patients clinically diagnosed as Alcoholic liver disease were evaluated for hematological changes and coagulation profile. The mean age was 44 years with maximum patients in the age group of 50-59 years which included 95.8% of males and 4.2% of females. The values of Hb, RBC count, PCV and Total count were found to be reduced in maximum patients. MCV values showed no significant change. Thrombocytopenia was a major significant finding in 68.57% of ALD patients with a mean value of 1.37 lakh/μl and median value of 1.02 lakh/μl. 31.43% patients showed neutrophilia, while 61.4% patients had reduced number of lymphocyte count. Significant derangement of coagulation profile was found with prolongation of PT in 71.43% patients and aPTT in 75.71% patients. Conclusion: Our study demonstrates that patients with Alcoholic liver disease due to alcohol abuse can manifest with hematological abnormalities due to direct or indirect toxic effects of alcohol on haematopoiesis. Therefore, laboratory investigations like complete blood count and coagulation profile are important in assessment of the severity of the disease, other complications and proper management of such cases.