The role of eosinophils and basophils in peripheral blood in liver injury: findings from a cross-sectional study of an external hospital-based dataset and the NHANES (2007-2012).

BACKGROUND: As a major global health concern, liver injury requires effective preventive and therapeutic measures. This study aimed to examine the relationship between eosinophil and basophil counts and liver injury. METHODS: We analyzed two cohorts: 16, 328 subjects from a hospital-based dataset and 14, 962 individuals from the NHANES (2007-2012) database. After excluding cases with missing values, participants were categorized into groups with or without liver injury. Statistical analyses included weighted logistic regression (across three models), the XGBoost algorithm to identify critical factors, and restricted cubic spline analysis to explore non-linear relationships. RESULTS: Statistical analyses revealed significant differences in eosinophil and basophil counts in peripheral blood between the liver injury and non-injury groups. Weighted logistic regression demonstrated a significant association between these cell counts and liver injury across all three models, independent of other covariates. The XGBoost algorithm identified eosinophil and basophil counts as critical factors for liver injury, ranking second and third in importance after age. Restricted cubic spline analysis showed a non-linear relationship between eosinophil count and the odds ratio (OR), with an optimal count of 0.2×109 cells/L. Furthermore, higher eosinophil and basophil counts were correlated with reduced overall survival (OS) in patients with liver injury. CONCLUSION: These findings highlight eosinophil and basophil counts as potential risk factors for liver injury, providing valuable insights for its prevention and treatment.