A Study of Association of Mean Platelet Volume and Ischaemic Stroke

Background: Cerebrovascular diseases include some of the most common and devastating disorders. Mean platelet volume (MPV) is a physiological variable of haemostatic importance. Large platelets are more reactive, produce more prothrombotic factors and aggregate more easily.Thus, the detection of large platelets in patients with cerebrovascular diseases would lend support to the idea that platelet volume influences thrombotic large vessel occlusion leading to ischaemic stroke. Here the aim of our study is to correlate the size of pletelet with ischaemic stroke.Subjects and method: This was a case control study carried out in Department of Medicine in Guru Nanak Dev Hospital attached to Govt. Medical college. The study was carried out among 50 patients diagnosed with an acute ischemic stroke and presenting with in 48 hours of onset. Clinical severity was assessed using Modified Rankin‘s scale. Mean Platelet Volume was measured using an automated analyzer. Fifty age and sex matched controls were also recruited and their Mean Platelet Volumes assessed and association was calculated. Results: MPV has got a statistically significant correlation with ischemic stroke with a p value of 0.000 (highly significant) with an average MPV in cases being 8.92±1.03fl compared to controls in which average being 7.67±1.38fl. The range of MPV in cases was 7.40 to 12.80. The range of MPV in control was 4.90 to 10.10. The association of MPV with severity of stroke was determined by comparing the modified Rankin‘s score with corresponding mean values of MPV in each group. MPV – EDTA showed a p value of 0.191 which was statistically insignificant.Conclusion: MPV was significantly higher in patients of ischemic stroke which suggest a association of MPV with ischemic stroke. Further there was no significant association between severity of ischemic stroke and MPV