Mean Platelet Volume is Elevated in Patients With Low High-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol

A low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) level is a predictor of increased cardiovascular risk. We assessed the mean platelet volume (MPV) in patients with low HDL-C. We studied 59 patients with low HDL-C (HDL-C <= 35 mg/dL) and 56 control participants (HDL-C levels >35 mg/dL) with similar cardiovascular risk factors. As expected, HDL-C was significantly lower among the patients with low HDL-C than that of the control group (32 +/- 3 vs 51 +/- 5 mg/dL, respectively; P < .001). Platelet count was significantly lower among the patients with low HDL-C than that of the control group (213 +/- 60 vs 285 +/- 75 x 10(9)/L, respectively; P < .001). The MPV was significantly higher among the patients with low HDL-C than that of the control group (8.7 +/- 0.6 vs 7.1 +/- 0.5 fL, respectively; P < .001). We have shown that MPV was significantly elevated in patients with low HDL-C compared with control participants.