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Abstract Thrombocytopenia is a relatively common feature in chronic liver disease. Many patients with chronic liver disease and greater than one third of patients with cirrhosis have significant thrombocytopenia (Brophy et at, 1996). Theories about the underlying pathogenic mechanisms, mostly centering on splenic sequestration and distruetion of platelets, have failed !.O solve the problem so far (Peck-Radosavljevic et al; 1997) as it is often difficult to demonstrate a correlation between platelet couot and spleen size, thus additional factors probably contribute to the depressed platelet count (Brophy et al., 1996). Immnaologioal disturbances are commonly a feature in chronic liver disease, including hyperglobulinaemia and the presence of autoantibodies and circulating immune complexes and immme mechanisms eonld therefore contribute to thrombocytopenia (deNoronha et al., 1991). Many studies have reported elevated levels of antiplatelet antibodies In patients with chronic liver disease. These findings suggest that an immune mechanism may participate lin inducing or aggravating the thrombocytopenia (Pereira ell. al., 1995). Also, annohospholipid antibodies seem to be frequently associated with chronic liver disease of various causes (Biron et aI., (998). Antieardiolipin antibodies (IgG) ale frequently found! Hi patients with chronic hepatitis C and may be implicated in the occurrence of thrombosis and in the development ofthrombocytopenia (Prieto et al., 1996). |