Platelet parameters as biomarker for bronchopulmonary dysplasia in very low birth weight neonates in the first two weeks of life

Sunil K Sati; Carolyn Springer; Roger Kim; Kusum Viswanathan; Fernanda E Kupferman

doi:10.23736/S2724-5276.23.07213-0

Platelet parameters as biomarker for bronchopulmonary dysplasia in very low birth weight neonates in the first two weeks of life

Minerva Pediatr (Torino). 2023 May 8. doi: 10.23736/S2724-5276.23.07213-0. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Sunil K Sati^{1

2}, Carolyn Springer^{3

4}, Roger Kim³, Kusum Viswanathan³, Fernanda E Kupferman³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pediatrics, Brookdale Hospital and Medical Center, New York, NY, USA - sunilsati84@gmail.com.
² Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA - sunilsati84@gmail.com.
³ Department of Pediatrics, Brookdale Hospital and Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.
⁴ Gordon F. Derner School of Psychology, Adelphi University, Garden City, NY, USA.

PMID: 37155211
DOI: 10.23736/S2724-5276.23.07213-0

Abstract

Background: The pathogenesis of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is attributed to the arrested lung development in premature infants. Studies showed the negative impact of inflammatory markers on the developing lung with higher levels of IL1, 6 and 8. Platelets contribute to the acute phase response of inflammation and are a direct source of IL-1β.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective data review of all preterm babies with gestational age (GA) <32 weeks admitted to NICU to assess the relationship between platelet parameters in the first 2 weeks of life with the incidence and severity of BPD in very low birth weight (VLBW) neonates.

Results: Of 114 screened newborns, 92 were included after exclusion criteria. Of these, 62 (67.3%) developed BPD. Mean platelet count (PC) (P=0.008) and mean platelet mass index (PMI) (P=0.027) were significantly lower and mean platelet volume (MPV) (P=0.016) was significantly higher in the BPD group. The highest difference between groups was observed at 2^nd week of life for PC and PMI and at 1^st week for MPV. Using multivariate logistic analysis, only PC (P=0.017) showed statistical significance. MPV and PMI showed a positive interaction but did not achieve significance (P=0.066 for both).

Conclusions: We concluded that platelet parameters in the first 2 weeks of life were associated with the incidence of BPD in VLBW neonates. PC may also predict the severity of BPD in these infants.