High mortality among patients with the leukemoid reaction and alcoholic hepatitis.

We describe a patient with severe alcoholic hepatitis, markedly elevated white blood cell count, and high fever. After review of the English literature, we discovered reports of other cases similar to our case. The striking feature in all of these cases was a high short-term mortality rate, despite predictions of a favorable outcome. We therefore believe these patients represent a subgroup of patients with alcoholic hepatitis and that the leukemoid reaction is a poor prognostic sign in this disease.