Thrombopoietin and mean platelet volume in coronary artery disease

Background: Large platelets are shown to be hemostatically more active. It has been suggested that mean platelet volume (MPV) is increased during acut e myocardial infarction (AMI) and unstable angina pectoris (USAP), However, the underlying mechanism of the phenomenon remains unclear. Hypothesis: In this study, platelets. MPV, and thrombopoietin (TP) levels w ere investigated in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and healthy controls. Methods: Twenty patients with AMI and 20 patients with USAP were included i n this study. Seventeen healthy adult subjects served as controls. Venous b lood samples of the subjects were drawn within 12 h after admission. Thromb opoietin levels were measured by ELISA and platelet counts and MPV were ass ayed by autoanalyzer. Results: Patients with AMI and USAP had higher platelet counts than those i n the control group. Although the platelet counts were slightly higher in A MI than in USAP, this did not reach statistical significance. Mean platelet volume and levels of TP were found to be elevated in patients with AMI and USAP compared with control subjects (p < 0.001). Thrombopoietin levels wer e higher in AMI than USAP, but this was not statistically significant. Ther e was a positive correlation between TP levels and MPV values (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Increased TP levels may increase both platelet counts and plate let size, resulting in hemostatically more active platelets, which may cont ribute to the development and progression of CAD.