Which influences Mean Platelet Volume: Allergic rhinitis or Asthma?

INTRODUCTION: Aim: Bronchial asthma and allergic rhinitis are mediated by similar allergic inflammatory mechanisms. Platelets play a role in allergic reactions that are inflammatory processes. The mean platelet volume (MPV) is a marker of platelet activation.This study aimed to investigate MPV value differences between children with allergic rhinitis during the symptomatic or asymptomatic period to determine whether MPV is a useful indicator of inflammation in allergic rhinitis.

METHODS: The records of the patients with allergic rhinitis were analyzed retrospectively. Patients over two years old who had complete blood count both asymptomatic and during the symptomatic period were included in the study. Clinical characteristics (age, age at diagnosis, symptoms, comorbid allergic diseases) and laboratory data (thrombocyte count, MPV, white blood cell count, eosinophil count, and percentage, IgE level, and skin prick test results) were recorded from the patient file and hospital registry system.

RESULTS: MPV values during the symptomatic period were statistically significantly higher than the asymptomatic period (p<0,001) in all patients. When patients grouped according to having asthma, MPV was found to be higher in the symptomatic period compared to the asymptomatic period in the group with asthma, but there was no difference between the two periods in the group without asthma (p=0.017, p=0.102 respectively).Also MPV levels were significantly higher in the asthma group during the symptomatic and the asymptomatic period (p=0.04, p=0.013, respectively).
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: This study suggest that MPV could not be used as an inflammation indicator in the symptomatic period with only patients with allergic rhinitis. Asthma influences MPV values. It would be good to conduct more detailed and prospective studies to show MPV inflammation in AR.