Myeloperoxidase (MPO) is a heme protein present in the granules of neutrophils and monocytes. The aim of this work was to study plasma level of MPO in different chronic liver diseases. The present workwas carried out on 54 patients of chronic liver disease, admitted to Benha University hospital and 18 healthy individuals served as control. The study included 4 groups: 27 patients diagnosed as bilharzial liver fibrosis (group I), 15 patients diagnosed as post-hepatitic cirrhosis (group II), 12 patients diagnosed as chronic hepatitis (group III) and 18 healthy individuals (control group). All patients were subjected to complete medical history and full clinical examination, abdominal ultrasonography and/or abdominal CT scanning and sonar guided liver biopsy for histological examination. All studied and control groups were subjected to liver function tests, complete blood picture, prothrombin time and estimation of plasma MPO level by EL YSA technique. The results showed that plasma MPO level was markedly higher in both bilharzial liver fibrosis· and post-hepatitic cirrhosis than chronic hepatitis group and correlated positiVely with lactate dehydrogenase and alkaline phosphatase levels and negatively correlated with albumin, total leucocytic count and neutrocyte count. The results also showed that MPO was significantly higher in patients with chronic liver diseases complicated with hepatocellular carcinoma, esophageal varices cy1d in patients complicated with hepatocellular carcinoma but showed no significant difference in patients with ascites than those without ascites. It was concluded that high plasma levels of MPO in liver cirrhosis or fibrosis could be added as a possible marker of hypersplenism. |
