Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and thrombocytopenia IV: its association with granulocytopenia
Montserrat Rivera-Álvarez, Alejandra Carmina Córdova-Ramírez, Gilberto David Elias-de-la-Cruz, Iván Murrieta-Álvarez, Andrés A. León‐Peña, Yahveth Cantero‐Fortiz, Juan Carlos Olivares‐Gazca, Guillermo J. Ruiz‐Delgado, Guillermo J. Ruíz‐Argüelles
Abstract
We have previously shown that some patients present thrombocytopenia (less than 100 × 109/L platelets) in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). To further explore the nature of this association, we have now analyzed the association of thrombocytopenia with neutropenia (less than 0.5 × 109/L granulocytes) in NAFLD. Persons with NAFLD were prospectively accrued in the study after February 2018. The presence of NAFLD was defined by both serologic determinations (Fibromax ®) and liver transient elastography (TE/Fibroscan ®). In 123 consecutive patients with NAFLD without cirrhosis, thrombocytopenia was identified in 20 (16%), whereas neutropenia was identified in 9 (7%). In the subset of 20 patients with NAFLD and thrombocytopenia, granulocytopenia was identified in 5 (25%), whereas in the subset of 9 patients with granulocytopenia, thrombocytopenia was identified in 5 (55%). We found a significant association between thrombocytopenia and both leukopenia and granulocytopenia (OR 8.25, 95% CI 1.9–34.2, p = 0.004). Both thrombocytopenia and neutropenia were identified in persons with NAFLD and, as there is a significant relationship between these two variables, we speculate that this finding may support the possibility of hypersplenism being involved in the cytopenias found in NAFLD without cirrhosis.