Abstract: Objective To explore the changes in the percentage of peripheral blood mononuclear cells in patients with acute drug-induced liver injury. Methods The clinical data of patients diagnosed with acute drug-induced liver injury in the First Affiliated Hospital of Dali University from January 2015 to December 2022 were retrospectively collected. 185 cases were enrolled and the percentage of peripheral blood mononuclear cells was analyzed. In total 185 cases,there were 124 cases of hepatocyte injury type,27 cases of cholestasis type, 34 cases of mixed type; there were 103 cases of mild type, 71 cases of moderate type, and 11 cases of severe type. The percentage of peripheral blood mononuclear cells in each group was statistically analyzed. Results The average percentage of peripheral blood monocytes among 185 patients was 10.81%, which was significantly higher than healthy person. Among the 185 cases, 76.76% (142 cases) had elevated monocyte percentage, while 23.24% (43 cases) were not. The percentages of peripheral blood mononuclear cells in the hepatocellular injury type, cholestatic type, and mixed type were 11.37%±3.70%, 9.95%±2.06%, and 9.40%±3.30% respectively. The percentage of monocytes in the hepatocellular injury group was higher than cholestasis group and mixed group(P=0.008; P=0.006), and there was no statistically significant difference between cholestasis group and mixed group (P=0.454); the percentages of peripheral blood mononuclear cells in the mild group, moderate group, and severe group were 10.12%±3.49% 11.69%±3.50%, 11.85%±2.66% respectively; the percentage of peripheral blood mononuclear cells in the mild group was lower than that in the moderate group (P=0.004). There was no statistical difference between the mild group and the severe group, and there was no statistical difference between the moderate group and the severe group (P=0.131; P=0.887). Conclusion The percentage of peripheral blood mononuclear cells in most patients with acute drug-induced liver injury is significantly higher than healthy person. The percentage of mononuclear cells in the hepatocyte injury type is higher than that in the cholestatic and mixed types. The percentage of peripheral blood mononuclear cells in the mild group is lower than that in the moderate group. There is no statistically significant difference between mild group and severe group, moderate group and severe group, which may be due to the small number of severe cases. Patients with acute unexplained liver injury may be accompanied with increased percentage of peripheral blood mononuclear cells.

Key words: Drug-induced liver injury, Monocyte percentage, Clinical investigation