Value of Pre- and Post-Treatment Platelet Indices in Patients with Immune Thrombocytopenic Purpura ()
ABSTRACT
Introduction: Immune
thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) is an acquired disorder characterized by
isolated thrombocytopenia. There is no “gold standard” test that can establish
the diagnosis of primary ITP. Therefore, the diagnosis is one of exclusion and
is based on patient history, physical examination, complete blood count, and
blood smear review. Platelet indices are biomarkers of platelet activation,
allowing extensive investigations focusing on the diagnostic and prognostic
values in various diseases without extra-costs. Mean platelet volume (MPV),
platelet distribution width (PDW) and plateletcrit (PCT) were investigated
aiming at evaluating the correlation between pre- and post-treatment values in
ITP patients. The sensitivity and specificity of platelet indices for
assessment of their predictive value for treatment response were also
evaluated. Methods: Fifty newly diagnosed primary ITP patients were
selected from the Hematology Clinics of Ain Shams University Hospitals and classified into pediatric and adult groups.
Platelet count, MPV, PDW, PCT have been
recorded for all pre and post-treatment CBC samples using Beckman
Coulter LH750 analyzer. Results: In pediatrics post-treatment MPV and
PDW were significantly decreased while PCT was increased when compared to their
values at the time of presentation (P < 0.01).
The same results were obtained in adult patients, except for PDW which did not
attain any significance. A significant correlation was found between
pre-treatment values of these platelet indices and treatment response in
pediatrics, while no significance was found between pre-treatment PDW and
treatment response in adults. Conclusion: Increased
pre-treatment MPV and PDW, and decreased PCT can provide diagnostic and
predictive value for treatment response in ITP patients.
Share and Cite:
Omar, I. , Abuelela, S. and Emam, N. (2018) Value of Pre- and Post-Treatment Platelet Indices in Patients with Immune Thrombocytopenic Purpura.
Journal of Biosciences and Medicines,
6, 11-24. doi:
10.4236/jbm.2018.69002.