Counting of blood eosinophils in acute cellular rejection of hepatic graft

Abstract

Introduction: Acute rejection after liver transplantation is one of most common complications of the liver graft. The gold-standard to identify this condition is the biopsy. However, it is an invasive procedure that can can pose serious complications to the patient. The literature has studied non-invasive biomarkers that could predict acute rejection and peripheral eosionophils is one of them. Purpose: to assess peripheral eosinophils and liver transaminases during acute rejection of liver graft at Hospital Universit rio Oswaldo Cruz. Methods: It is an observational study assessing the following variables: sensitivity rates, specificity, predictive value, and accuracy. Results: Acute rejection was detected in 29.33% of patients. In patients with acute rejection, the AST counting were high in 65.90%, with 59.18% of diagnostic sensibility, 81.13% of diagnostic specificity, positive predictive value of 65.91%, negative predictive value of 85.15%, and 76.67% accuracy; the ALT counting were high in 34.09%, with 60.00% of diagnostic sensibility, 90.57% of diagnostic specificity, 34.09% of positive predictive value, 76.80% of negative predictive value and 74,00% of accuracy; peripheral eosinophils were high in 29,54%, with 22,03% of diagnostic sensibility, 56,60% of diagnostic specificity, 29.55% of positive predictive value, negative predictive value of 65.93% and accuracy of 48.67%. Conclusion: The present study, as well as the literature suggest the limited role of eosinophilia as a predictor for acute rejection. However, we agree that the peripheral eosinophils can be used as a diagnostic tool.