Role of Thrombopoietin in HCV Associated Thrombocytopenia

Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is one of the most important health problems in Egypt. Thrombocytopenia is a common finding in subjects with chronic hepatitis. The precise aetiology of this thrombocytopenia is still obscure. Recently, there is increasing interest in the potential role of thrombopoietin (TPO) as a cause of this thrombocytopenia. Aim of Work: To determine serum TPO levels in HCVpositive patients and to test the assumption that HCV-associated thrombocytopenia could be due to low TPO levels. Patients and Methods: Forty patients with HCV infection were included in this study and classified as: Group I A: (8)HCV patients with mild thrombocytopenia, Group I B: (17)HCV patients with moderate thrombocytopenia, Group II: (15)HCV patients without thrombocytopenia .In addition, (25) healthy volunteers served as control (group III).All patients and controls had undergone full clinical assessment and the following laboratory investigations: peripheral hemogram, liver function tests, prothrombin time and TPO serum level. Results: TPO levels were significantly elevated in group IA when compared with the control group (p 0.05). No significant difference was found between this group and group II. TPO in Group IB was slightly, but insignificantly reduced compared to group IA and also did not differ statistically from the control or group II. Significant negative correlation was found between serum TPO levels and platelet count in group I (r = -0.421, p 0.05). No correlations were found between serum TPO levels and liver function tests or hematological parameters. Conclusion: An impaired TPO production did not explain the development of thrombocytopenia in HCV and other mechanisms must be involved.