Increased mean platelet volume in chronic hepatitis B patients with inactive disease.
BACKGROUND
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a major public health problem worldwide, responsible for considerable morbidity and mortality from chronic liver disease. Conflicting findings on the possible association between HBV surface antigen (HBsAg) positivity, indicating inactive HBsAg carrier status, and atherosclerosis have been reported. Platelet activation and aggregation are central processes in the pathophysiology of atherosclerosis. Mean platelet volume, a determinant of platelet activation, is a newly emerging risk factor for atherothrombosis. Elevated MPV levels have been identified as an independent risk factor for myocardial infarction in patients with coronary heart disease, and for death or recurrent vascular events after myocardial infarction. Moreover, increased platelet size has been reported in patients with vascular risk factors such as diabetes mellitus, in patients with acute ischemic stroke, and essential hypertension. According to our knowledge, there has been no previous study of MPV in inactive HBsAg carriers. Therefore, we have investigated the possible association between HBsAg positivity and MPV.


METHODS
We selected 260 inactive HBsAg carriers, and 80 healthy control subjects matched for age, sex, and body mass index.


RESULTS
The MPV level was significantly higher in the inactive HBsAg carrier group than in the control group (8.8+/-1.2 fl vs 8.1+/-0.9 fl, P=.001).


CONCLUSIONS
Our results suggest that inactive HBsAg carriers tend to have relatively increased platelet activation and an atherothrombotic risk.
Turhan
Ozge
O
Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, Akdeniz University Faculty of Medicine, 07070 Antalya, Turkey.
Coban
Erkan
E
Inan
Dilara
D
Yalcin
Ata Nevzat
AN
D000328:Adult; D001792:Blood Platelets / Q000166:cytology*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000097:blood* / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012306:Risk; D013927:Thrombosis / Q000150:complications / Q000821:virology