Significance of Platelet Volume Indices in STEMI Patients: A Case-Control Study.

INTRODUCTION: Platelets have been well known contributors in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disorders such as atherosclerosis and its complications such as acute Myocardial Infarction (MI).

AIM: To study the changes in platelet volume indices and platelet count in ST-Elevated Myocardial Infarction (STEMI) and assess their usefulness in predicting coronary events.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: A case-control observational study was carried out on 173 cases diagnosed with STEMI and 191 controls from January 2015 to December 2015, considering the inclusion and exclusion criteria. In total, 364 patients were included, 173 patients with STEMI, from those patients admitted to the intensive care unit and the emergency ward. In addition, 191 healthy non diabetic non hypertensive age-matched controls were enrolled.

RESULTS: The mean age of cases was 59.4±11.9 years and of controls were 55.25±8.5 years. Males (74.6%) had higher incidence of STEMI then females (25.4%). The Mean Platelet Volume (MPV) was significantly higher in patients with STEMI (10.2±2.8) as compared to controls (8.5±6.9). The Platelet Distribution Width (PDW) was also significantly higher in cases compared to controls (p<0.05). According to Pearson correlation analysis, the positive relationship determined between MPV and Gensini score was statistically significant (p < 0.001, r = 0.132).

CONCLUSION: High MPV and PDW seem to be an independent risk factor for STEMI and correlated with the severity of the STEMI. They can be used as a simple, reliable, and economical method for predicting an impending acute coronary event.