[Changes in the blood picture in liver diseases].

The occurrence of hematologic changes has been studied in 256 patients with various liver diseases. Macrocytosis on smears and by MCV was found in 50% of acute and in over 70% of chronic liver diseases. MCV increased from 98 +/- 8 mu3 (acute hepatitis) up to 108 +/- 12 mu3 in alcoholic cirrhosis. Anemia, which occurred rarely in hepatitis but in 67% of cirrhosis, was always macrocytic, not correlating with reticulocyte counts. Target cells were found in 20% of acute hepatitis and 41% of cirrhosis. In patients with chronic liver disease target cells were associated with macrocytosis and increased bilirubin. Thrombocytopenia was found in 11% of acute, in 53% of chronic inflammatory and in over 60% of cirrhotic liver disease.