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Thromb Haemost 1999; 82(05): 1422-1427
DOI: 10.1055/s-0037-1614848
Rapid Communications
Schattauer GmbH

Haematological Abnormalities in Early Abstinent Alcoholics Are Closely Associated with Alterations in Thrombopoietin and Erythropoietin Serum Profiles

Marc Schmitt
1   From the Departments of Psychiatry and Neurology, Georg-August-University, and Max-Planck-Institute for Experimental Medicine, Göttingen, Germany
,
Christoph H. Gleiter
1   From the Departments of Psychiatry and Neurology, Georg-August-University, and Max-Planck-Institute for Experimental Medicine, Göttingen, Germany
,
Janet L. Nichol
3   Amgen Inc., Thousand Oaks, California, USA
,
Lars Pralle
4   Department of Medical Statistics, Georg-August-University, Göttingen, Germany
,
Martin Hasselblatt
1   From the Departments of Psychiatry and Neurology, Georg-August-University, and Max-Planck-Institute for Experimental Medicine, Göttingen, Germany
,
Wolfgang Poser
1   From the Departments of Psychiatry and Neurology, Georg-August-University, and Max-Planck-Institute for Experimental Medicine, Göttingen, Germany
,
Hannelore Ehrenreich
1   From the Departments of Psychiatry and Neurology, Georg-August-University, and Max-Planck-Institute for Experimental Medicine, Göttingen, Germany
› Author Affiliations
Further Information

Publication History

Received 21 December 1998

Accepted after resubmission 07 June 1999

Publication Date:
09 December 2017 (online)

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Summary

Numerous reports exist on haematological pathology in alcoholism. However, no data are available regarding a potential involvement of haematopoietic growth factors in the recovery from alcohol-induced haematological abnormalities upon abstinence. Therefore, thrombopoietin (TPO) and erythropoietin (EPO) serum levels along with haematological and other routine laboratory parameters were closely followed in 14 thoroughly characterized male alcoholic patients over one to five months of controlled abstention from alcohol. Haematological changes in these early abstinent alcoholics consisted predominantly of (a) the well known rebound surge of platelets, (b) an early reticulocyte peak, and (c) persistently low haematocrit levels over months without signs of recovery. Observations on EPO and TPO during early abstinence can be summarized as follows: (1) Increased TPO levels precede the rebound thrombocytosis by several days, (2) both EPO and TPO concentrations are higher in anaemic than in nonanaemic alcoholics, with (3) nonanaemic subjects exhibiting levels of TPO in the range of healthy controls but levels of EPO below controls and (4) TPO concentrations show a stronger correlation with initial haematocrit values than with thrombocyte counts. To conclude, haematological recovery in early alcohol abstinence appears to be, at least in part, growth factor-driven, involving both TPO and EPO, and may reflect an intense interaction of erythro- and thrombopoiesis.

Keywords

Erythropoietin - thrombopoietin - alcoholism - abstinence - trombocytosis
 

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