Normal range of mean platelet volume in healthy subjects: Insight from a large epidemiologic study

Aim: Mean platelet volume (MPV) in the healthy population has not been studied before. Therefore, the aim of the study was to measure MPV in normal subjects in a large cohort of Turkish adults. Methods: A total of 2298 subjects with a mean age of 50 (age range 18 to 92) were interviewed. Subjects who had smoking habit, diabetes, hypertension, coronary artery disease, dyslipidemia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cancer, chronic use of any drugs including antiplatelets, heavy drinkers, metabolic syndrome, ejection fraction < 55%, creatinine > 1.4 in men and > 1.1 in women, abnormal liver function tests and an abnormal TSH were excluded in a in a stepwise manner. Complete blood counts were done on the same day within 6 hours by a CELL-DYN 3700 SL analyzer (Abbott Diagnostics). Results: Three hundred twenty-six participants (204 females (63%) and 122 males (37%) with a mean age of 41 +/- 16) constituted the final healthy cohort. Mean MPV of the cohort was 8.9 +/- 1.4 fL. There was no significant difference among age groups regarding MPV. Conclusion: Ninety-five percent of the individuals had a MPV between 7.2 and 11.7 fL. A patient having a MPV beyond this range should be evaluated carefully especially for occlusive arterial diseases. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.