Mean platelet volume in very preterm infants: a predictor of morbidities?

BACKGROUND Mean platelet volume [MPV] is an important predictor for many diseases and larger platelets are more reactive and associated with shortened bleeding time. Although elevated MPV values are related to respiratory distress syndrome [RDS] in neonates, there are, to our knowledge, no data investigating the relationship between MPV and other diseases of preterm infants. AIM To assess the correlation between MPV and the occurrence of various morbidities of prematurity such as necrotizing enterocolitis [NEC], bronchopulmonary dysplasia [BPD], sepsis, retinopathy of prematurity [ROP], and intraventricular hemorrhage [IVH] in a cohort of very preterm infants. SUBJECTS We studied infants with a gestational age of < 34 weeks and a birth weight of < 1500 g admitted to a third level Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Enrolled infants were divided into NEC and non-NEC, sepsis and non-sepsis, ROP and non-ROP, BPD and non-BPD and IVH and non-IVH groups. MPV was evaluated at birth [cord blood] and repeated at 48-72 hours of life. RESULTS Two hundred and seventy two infants were studied. MPV measured at birth was similar between sepsis and non-sepsis, and ROP and non-ROP groups. MPV values were higher in infants with BPD [9.08±1.3 fl], IVH [8.4±1.1fl] and NEC [8.6±0.7 f] when compared to the control group [7.6±0.6 fl] in the first day of life. CONCLUSIONS High MPV in the first hours of life may reflect the presence of a risk factor for the development of NEC, BPD and IVH in extremely preterm infants. This might be associated with inflammatory and oxidative process. However, our data indicate that higher MPV values are not associated with the development of sepsis or ROP in this study population.