Mean platelet volume changes before and after glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) improvement in a large study population

INTRODUCTION Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a metabolic disorder associated with both microvascular and macrovascular complications. Mean platelet volume (MPV) is a marker of platelet activity, which plays a major role in the development of vascular complications of DM. The aim of this study is to compare the MPV levels before and after the decrease of glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels in a large diabetic population. MATERIAL AND METHODS This was a retrospective study conducted on type 2 diabetic patients from the outpatient clinic for 1 year between 2014 and 2015 with the participation of 595 diabetic patients. RESULTS When we compared the basal and post-treatment values, a significant decrease of MPV and HbA1c levels was found (HbA1c: 9.41 ±1.98% vs. 7.43 ±1.29%, p < 0.001; MPV: 9.11 ±1.42 vs. 8.17 ±1.04, p < 0.001). There was also a positive correlation between the mean changes of MPV and HbA1c levels after the treatment (ΔMPV: 0.93 ±0.96 vs. ΔHbA1c: 1.96 ±1.43; p = 0.005, r = 0.115). When the participants were divided into two groups according to their basal HbA1c levels (group A: HbA1c ≤ 6.5% and group B: HbA1c > 6.5%), it was clearly seen that improvement of glucose levels led to a significant decrease in MPV levels in both groups. CONCLUSIONS The results of this study show that better glycemic control is associated with a significant decrease of MPV levels, regardless of whether the treatment modality is insulin or oral antidiabetic.