The aim of this study was to detect the role of neutrophilapoptosis as a mechanism of liver cell injury in chronic hepatitis C inorder to determine its relation to shortened neutrophil survival in HCVpatients, accounting in part for the mechanism of neutropenia.Thirty patients with chronic HCV infection were selected forthis study and divided into two groups, fifteen patients with chronic HCVwithout neutropenia (Group I) (8 males and 7 females) and fifteenpatients with chronic HCV with neutropenia (Group II) (7 males and 8females). In addition fifteen apparently healthy individuals served ascontrol group (6 males and 9 females).