Increased soluble IL-2 receptor levels in HCV-infected haemophiliacs: a possible indicator of liver disease severity.

We have measured sIL-2R in 60 haemophiliacs and 20 male control subjects. Haemophiliacs were grouped according to their HIV/HCV antibody status. Group 1 (n = 20) comprised HIV + ve/HCV + ve, group 2 (n = 27) HIV - ve/HCV + ve and group 3 (n = 13) HIV - ve/HCV - ve. Group 4 comprised the normal control subjects. We also examined, retrospectively, the relationship between the severity of chronic liver disease, assessed histologically, and sIL-2R levels in selected patients. There was no significant difference between sIL-2R levels of the group 1 and group 2 patients, and the levels for both were significantly greater than those of either the group 3 patients or the control subjects. sIL-2 levels were also higher in selected patients with cirrhosis than in those with chronic active hepatitis (CAH) or chronic persistent hepatitis (CPH). We conclude that in haemophiliacs, chronic HCV-related liver disease is associated with increased plasma levels of sIL-2R and that the degree of elevation may reflect the severity of the associated chronic liver disease.