Clinical Significance of Platelet Indices in Patients with Thrombocytopenia

Objective To investigate the clinical significance of the platelet indices in the spectrum of thrombocytopenia.Methods A total of 83 patients with thrombocytopenia were studied,including 31 cases with idiopathic thrombocytopenia purpura(ITP)and 24 patients with acute leukemia(AL)as well as 28 myelodysplasia syndrome(MDS)cases.The platelet indices-platelet count(PLT),plateletcrit(PCT),mean platelet volume(MPV)and platelet distribution width(PDW)-were measured by Sysmex XE-2100 automated blood cell analyzer.The platelet indices in these patients before and after treatment were further analyzed and statistically compared with healthy controls.Results That PLT and PCT were significantly lower in patients with ITP,AL and MDS in comparison with the control group(P0.01).In particular,MPV and PDW were significantly higher in patients with ITP compared with those with AL and MDS as well as the control group(P0.01).Additionally,PDW were significantly raised in patients with AL and MDS compared with the control group(P0.01).There was no significant difference in MPV values among AL,MDS and control groups.Furthermore,PLT and PCT were found to be elevated combined with PDW decreased in patients with ITP,AL and MDS in remission or clinical improvement.Meanwhile,MPV was dramatically decreased in ITP cases in clinical remission or improvement.However,MPV showed little difference in AL and MDS patients in remission compared with those being resistant to therapy.Conclusion The platelet indices could provide important clinical information about the underlying conditions and prognosis of thrombocytopenia.