Could mean platelet volume be a predictive marker for acute myocardial infarction?
BACKGROUND
Platelets play an important role in developing intravascular thrombus, the major cause of acute coronary syndromes. We investigated the clinical value of mean platelet volume (MPV) in coronary atherosclerosis and its possibility of being an independent risk factor for acute myocardial infarction (MI).


METHODS
Two hundred patients who underwent coronary angiography were included in the study. Thirty-five patients were randomly selected for each of the four study groups of stable (SAP) and unstable (USAP) angina pectoris and MI with and without ST-segment elevation. Sixty patients with chest pain having normal coronary angiograms were controls. The groups were compared regarding age, sex, smoking, diabetes, hypertension, positive family history, number of diseased vessels, lipid profile, complete blood count, creatine kinase (CK)-MB, Troponin-I, and MPV.


RESULTS
MPV was found to be elevated in MI patients compared with controls (p<0.001) and SAP (p<0.05) and patients with two- (p<0.001) and three-vessel (p<0.001) disease. We observed a significant association between MI and higher MPV (> or = 12 fl). High MPV (p<0.001) and WBC (p<0.001) were independent risk factors, among others. CK-MB, Troponin-I, and higher MPV demonstrate MI risk with 87%, 70%, and 87% specificity, respectively, while higher MPV only demonstrates coronary artery disease with 98% specificity.


CONCLUSIONS
Our study shows high MPV is an independent risk factor for coronary atherosclerosis and MI. Because this is a simple, economic, and practical method, we suggest MPV be considered with other conventional risk factors.
Kiliçli-Camur
Nurcan
N
Haydarpasa Numune Training & Research Hospital, Department of Internal Medicine, Istanbul, Turkey.
Demirtunç
Refik
R
Konuralp
Cüneyt
C
Eskiser
Arzu
A
Başaran
Yelda
Y
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001772:Blood Cell Count; D001792:Blood Platelets / Q000473:pathology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D048429:Cell Size; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D011379:Prognosis; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking; D013997:Time Factors