title: The platelet indices in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: mean platelet volume reflects disease activity.
abstract: The present study was designed to investigate the interaction between platelet indices, inflammatory markers and disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) subjects. The effects of anti-TNF-alpha therapy and conventional treatment on platelet indices were also compared. We studied 97 patients with RA (19 men, 78 women: mean age 51 years) and 33 age and sex-matched healthy subjects as a control group. All RA patients were administered conventional therapy. After 3 months of therapy, 35 subjects who had high disease activity score (DAS28 > 5.1) were grouped as non-responders and were administered infliximab as a TNF-alpha blocker at the standard intravenous dose. Responders to the conventional therapy and non-responders were also compared. At baseline white blood cell (WBC), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP), platelet count and mean platelet volume (MPV) were significantly higher in patients with RA. Mean platelet volume was positively correlated with DAS28 score (r = 0.27; p = 0.007). These markers of inflammation and platelet indices were substantially decreased after therapy. The reductions were similar in responders to conventional therapy and non-responders (TNF alpha group). In conclusion, we found that MPV was correlated with inflammatory markers and disease activity in patients with RA. Both anti-TNF-alpha and conventional therapy decreases markers of inflammation and platelet indices. MPV can reflect both disease activity and response to treatment.
authors.affiliation: Duzce University Medical Faculty, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Duzce, Turkey.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yazici
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yazici
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Erer
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Erer
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Calik
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ozhan
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ataoglu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D018501:Antirheumatic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D001792:Blood Platelets / Q000166:cytology*; D048429:Cell Size; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000097:blood / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D018501:Antirheumatic Agents; D015415:Biomarkers; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha