AIM: To investigate the serum erythropoietin (Epo) levels in patients with chronic liver diseases and to compare to subjects with iron-deficiency anaemia and healthy controls.METHODS: We examined 31 anaemic (ALC) and ...AIM: To investigate the serum erythropoietin (Epo) levels in patients with chronic liver diseases and to compare to subjects with iron-deficiency anaemia and healthy controls.METHODS: We examined 31 anaemic (ALC) and 22 non-anaemic (NALC) cirrhotic patients, 21 non-anaemic subjects with chronic active hepatitis (CAH), 24 patients with iron-deficiency anaemia (ID) and 15 healthy controls. Circulating Epo levels (ELISA; R&D Systems, Europe Ltd, Abingdon,UK) and haemoglobin (Hb) concentration were determined in all subjects.RESULTS: Mean±SD of Epo values was 26.9±10.8 mU/mL in ALC patients, 12.5±8.0 mU/mL in NALC subjects,11.6±6.3 mU/mL in CAH patients, 56.4±12.7 mU/mL in the cases of ID and 9.3±2.6 mU/mL in controls. No significant difference (P>0.05) was found in Epo levels between controls, CAH and NALC patients. ALC individuals had higher Epo levels (P<0.01) than these groups whereas ID subjects had even higher levels (P<0.001) than patients suffering from ALC.CONCLUSION: Increased Epo values in cirrhotics, are only detectable when haemoglobin was lesser than 12 g/dL.Nevertheless, this rise in value is lower than that observed in anaemic patients with iron-deficiency and appears blunted and inadequate in comparison to the degree of anaemia.展开更多
AIM：To evaluate the efficacy of L-carnitine on alleviating anemia,thrombocytopenia and leukopenia,and minimizing dose reductions in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus（HCV）in treatment with Interferonα（IFN-α...AIM：To evaluate the efficacy of L-carnitine on alleviating anemia,thrombocytopenia and leukopenia,and minimizing dose reductions in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus（HCV）in treatment with Interferonα（IFN-α）plus ribavirin.METHODS：Sixty-nine patients with chronic hepatitis C were enrolled in the study and divided into two groups.group A（n=35）received Peg-IFN-α2b plus ribavirin plus L-carnitine,and group B（n=34）received Peg-IFN-αand ribavirin for 12 mo.All patients underwent laboratory investigations including：red cell count,he-moglobin,white cell count,platelets,bilirubin,alanineaminotransferase（ALT）,aspartate aminotransferase（AST）,and viremia.RESULTS：After 12 mo in group A compared to group B we observed significant differences in AST 108.8 vs 76.8（IU/L;P0.001）,ALT 137.vs 112.3（IU/L;P 0.001）,viremia 4.04 vs 2.36（106 copies/mL;P 0.001）,Hb 1 vs 3.5（g/dL;P0.05）,red blood cells 0.3 vs 1.1（1012/L;P0.001）,white blood cells 1.5 vs 3（10/L;P0.001）and platelets 86 vs 85（×10/L;P0.001）.The end treatment responders were 18 vs 12（60%vs 44%）and the non responders were 12 vs 15（40%vs 50%）[odds ratio（OR）1.65,5%CI =0.65-5.37,P0.05.In group A compared to group B there was a significant improvement of sustained vi-rological response in 15 vs 7 patients（50%vs25%）,while the relapsers were 3 vs 5（10%vs 18%）（OR 3.57,5%CI=0.65-1.3,P0.001）.CONCLUSION：L-carnitine supplementations modulate erythropoiesis,leucopoiesis and thrombocytopoiesis,and may be useful in patients treated for HCV.L-carni-tine treatment offers the possibility of achieving a sus-tained virological response while preventing overtreat-ment.展开更多
文摘AIM: To investigate the serum erythropoietin (Epo) levels in patients with chronic liver diseases and to compare to subjects with iron-deficiency anaemia and healthy controls.METHODS: We examined 31 anaemic (ALC) and 22 non-anaemic (NALC) cirrhotic patients, 21 non-anaemic subjects with chronic active hepatitis (CAH), 24 patients with iron-deficiency anaemia (ID) and 15 healthy controls. Circulating Epo levels (ELISA; R&D Systems, Europe Ltd, Abingdon,UK) and haemoglobin (Hb) concentration were determined in all subjects.RESULTS: Mean±SD of Epo values was 26.9±10.8 mU/mL in ALC patients, 12.5±8.0 mU/mL in NALC subjects,11.6±6.3 mU/mL in CAH patients, 56.4±12.7 mU/mL in the cases of ID and 9.3±2.6 mU/mL in controls. No significant difference (P>0.05) was found in Epo levels between controls, CAH and NALC patients. ALC individuals had higher Epo levels (P<0.01) than these groups whereas ID subjects had even higher levels (P<0.001) than patients suffering from ALC.CONCLUSION: Increased Epo values in cirrhotics, are only detectable when haemoglobin was lesser than 12 g/dL.Nevertheless, this rise in value is lower than that observed in anaemic patients with iron-deficiency and appears blunted and inadequate in comparison to the degree of anaemia.
基金Supported by Ministero dell’Università e Ricerca Scientifica e Tecnologica
文摘AIM：To evaluate the efficacy of L-carnitine on alleviating anemia,thrombocytopenia and leukopenia,and minimizing dose reductions in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus（HCV）in treatment with Interferonα（IFN-α）plus ribavirin.METHODS：Sixty-nine patients with chronic hepatitis C were enrolled in the study and divided into two groups.group A（n=35）received Peg-IFN-α2b plus ribavirin plus L-carnitine,and group B（n=34）received Peg-IFN-αand ribavirin for 12 mo.All patients underwent laboratory investigations including：red cell count,he-moglobin,white cell count,platelets,bilirubin,alanineaminotransferase（ALT）,aspartate aminotransferase（AST）,and viremia.RESULTS：After 12 mo in group A compared to group B we observed significant differences in AST 108.8 vs 76.8（IU/L;P0.001）,ALT 137.vs 112.3（IU/L;P 0.001）,viremia 4.04 vs 2.36（106 copies/mL;P 0.001）,Hb 1 vs 3.5（g/dL;P0.05）,red blood cells 0.3 vs 1.1（1012/L;P0.001）,white blood cells 1.5 vs 3（10/L;P0.001）and platelets 86 vs 85（×10/L;P0.001）.The end treatment responders were 18 vs 12（60%vs 44%）and the non responders were 12 vs 15（40%vs 50%）[odds ratio（OR）1.65,5%CI =0.65-5.37,P0.05.In group A compared to group B there was a significant improvement of sustained vi-rological response in 15 vs 7 patients（50%vs25%）,while the relapsers were 3 vs 5（10%vs 18%）（OR 3.57,5%CI=0.65-1.3,P0.001）.CONCLUSION：L-carnitine supplementations modulate erythropoiesis,leucopoiesis and thrombocytopoiesis,and may be useful in patients treated for HCV.L-carni-tine treatment offers the possibility of achieving a sus-tained virological response while preventing overtreat-ment.
