Background: Altered platelet morphology and function have been reported in patients with diabetes mellitus. They are likely to be associated with the pathological processes and increased risk of vascular disease seen in these patients. We aimed to determine the mean platelet volume (MPV) in diabetics compared to nondiabetics, to see if there is a difference in MPV between diabetics with and without macro- and microvascular complications, and to determine the correlation between MPV and fasting blood glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA(1)c), patient age, and duration of diabetes, respectively.
Methods: We measured MPV in 145 consecutive Type 2 diabetic patients and 100 nondiabetic control subjects without known coronary artery disease who had complete blood count on venous blood sample taken into tripotassium EDTA, using a Roche Minos cell counter and automatic blood counter (CELL-DYN 3500). The blood glucose level was measured by glucose oxidase method and HbA1c by calorimetrical method in the autoanalyser. Statistical evaluation was performed by SPSS for Windows statistics programme using multivariate logistical regression analysis, Student's t, and Pearson correlation tests.
Results: MPV was significantly higher and the mean platelet counts were significantly lower in diabetics compared to age- and sex-matched nondiabetic healthy controls [10.62+/-1.71 fl vs. 9.15+/-0.86 fl (P=.00), 260.38+/-68.65 x 10(9)/l vs. 292.33+/-79.19 x 10(9)/l (P=.001)], respectively.
Conclusions: Our results show significantly higher MPV in diabetic patients than in the nondiabetic controls. This suggests that platelets may play a role in the micro- and macrovascular complications of diabetic patients.