To Study Mean Corpuscular Volume in Alcoholic Liver Disease Patients and to Compare with Child-Pugh Score to Predict the Severity.

Liver injury caused by the alcohol abuse is called alcoholic liver disease (ALD). In particular, ethanol exposure induces cell membrane remodeling in different cells and lipid vesicles including membrane fluidization. These phenomena may be related to the effects of alcohol on the red blood cells (RBCs) membrane because unmetabolized ethanol can have a direct effect on membrane properties. It was a cross sectional study conducted in 50 adult patients of both sex with a diagnosis of alcoholic liver disease and equal number of controls matched in age and sex. Blood sample collected at the time of admission and sent for investigations and child-pugh score calculated. Maximum number of subjects were in 30 to 50 years of age group. Mean value of MCV in patients with alcoholic liver disease was 99.7fl (±8.176) and in control group was 84.2fl (±10.58) (P = 0.0001). Patients in child-pugh class A, B and C were 14%, 62% and 24% respectively. Moreover, there was statistically significant, positive correlation between MCV and child-pugh score. The raised MCV in alcoholic liver disease patients was associated with severity of ALD as mean MCV was 92.28 fl (±2.81) (P = 0.001) in child-pugh class A, 96.22fl (±8.20) (P = 0.001) in child-pugh class B and 113 fl (±11.25) (P = 0.005) in child-pugh class C. Mean corpuscular volume is a simple, cost effective and easily obtainable test that may help in predicting the severity of disease and prognosis in terms of life expectancy as evidenced by its increased value in patients of chronic liver disease as well as its linear positive correlation with child-pugh score.

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© Journal of the Association of Physicians of India 2011.