title: Differences in platelet indices between healthy Han population and Tibetans in China.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The present data on the evaluation of platelet (PLT) parameters in Chinese Han population and Tibetans are still limited. The objective of this study was to determine the differences in common PLT indices between Han population and Tibetans in China, through a large-scale investigation of healthy people.
  
  
  METHODS
  2131 Han people from Chengdu Plain, 1099 Tibetans from Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and 956 Plateau Han migrants were included in this study. All the subjects were healthy people through the health screening. PLT indices were measured with Sysmex XE-2100 and XT-1800i blood cell automatic analyzer.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared with Han people in Chendu Plain, Tibetans had higher PLT count (P<0.01) but lower mean platelet volume (MPV), platelet distribution width (PDW) and platelet-large cell ratio (P-LCR) (P<0.01); while Plateau Han migrants had lower PLT count, MPV and P-LCR (P<0.05). When compared with Tibetans, Plateau Han migrants had lower levels of mean PLT count but higher PDW and P-LCR (P<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There are ethnic differences in PLT indices between Chinese Han population and Tibetans. Based on this finding, it would be reasonable to conduct formal prospective studies to determine the clinical significance of these differences and to explore the effects of genetic background on these indices.
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Medicine, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, The People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Qian
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Niu
authors.forename: Ruke
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Sugen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zeng
authors.forename: Xunbei
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Youfang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: An
authors.forename: Luwen
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001792:Blood Platelets / Q000502:physiology*; D003710:Demography; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D006262:Health; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D018609:Tibet