Red cell survival in biliary cirrhosis.

Studies were carried out on eight patients with primary biliary cirrhosis. Four patients were found to have a haemolytic anaemia; one had Coombs red cell antibodies. Two patients had evidence of splenic sequestration of red cells using the radio-chromium technique. There was a significant correlation between the red cell survival and the bromsulphthalein retention test and the red cell survival and the serum level of bilirubin. It was concluded that the anaemia of cirrhosis of the liver, including primary biliary cirrhosis, may be due to a number of mechanisms and a unifying hypothesis based on the degree of liver dysfunction is suggested.