Circulating ICAM-1 in alcoholic liver cirrhosis.

The intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1) level in the serum of patients with alcoholic liver cirrhosis was measured using a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Circulating ICAM-1 was significantly elevated in the sera of all 19 patients as compared with normal healthy subjects. There was no correlation with the Child grade of the disease, but the highest levels of serum ICAM-1 (2,416 +/- 560 ng/ml) were measured in those patients who suffered from superimposed acute alcoholic hepatitis. No elevated serum ICAM-1 level was found in the ascitic fluid of cirrhotic patients. The elevated serum levels of ICAM-1 in patients with alcoholic liver diseases may provide useful diagnostic or prognostic information.