The relationship between the level of mean platelet volume and the carotid artery intima-media thickness in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Both of the carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT) and mean platelet volume (MPV) may add to the risk of atherosclerosis for predicting cardiovascular events. It is not known, however, whether there is an association between them in diabetes patients. The aim of the study was to detect the relationship between the level of mean platelet volume and the carotid artery intima-media thickness in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, and to determine the correlation of MPV with body mass index (BMI), duration of diabetes, glycosylated hemoglobin A1 (HbA1C), fasting blood glucose (FBG), C-reactive protein (CRP), triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), low density lipoprotein (LDL-C), high density lipoprotein (HDL-C), serum uric acid (UA), ankle-brachial index (ABI), history of hypertension, and smoking in diabetic patients, respectively. A total of 128 subjects were enrolled into this study, who admitted consecutively to our clinic from January 1, 2013 to January 30, 2014. They were divided into three groups according to their IMT: normal IMT group (A, IMT ≦1.1 mm, n = 26), IMT thickness group (B, IMT >1.1 mm, n = 45), IMT thickening with plaque group (C, n = 57). A significant difference with respect to BMI, HBA1c, TG, HDL-C, CRP, UA, FBG, ABI, and cigarette use between the study groups was not found ( P > 0.05). MPV was significantly higher in group A as compared to both group B and group C (7.94 ± 0.97 fl, 7.24 ± 0.71 fl, 7.03 ± 0.79 fl, respectively, P〈0.001), MPV had a high positive correlation with IMT ( P〈0.001) and age, as with TC and LDL-C ( P〈0.05). The level of MPV content decreased as the diabetic macroangiopathy progressed. Level of MPV was correlated with IMT in diabetic patients. MPV might be a useful marker for detecting atherosclerosis risk in diabetic patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]