To understand the mechanisms linking platelets to the risk of coronary artery disease, we investigated the relation between coronary angiographic morphology and platelet indexes--platelet count, mean platelet volume (MPV), platelet-large cell ratio (P-LCR) and platelet distribution width (PDW)--in patients with ischemic heart disease. Eighty-four patients with ischemic heart disease and 120 aged controls (AC) were enrolled in the study. The patients without any signs of acute myocardial infarction and acute coronary syndromes who underwent coronary angiography were divided into two groups, an 'angiographically negative group' (group 0) and an 'angiographically positive group' (group 1), with positive coronary obstruction depending on the diagnostic criteria in our hospital. Platelet indexes were measured in peripheral venous blood. The mean platelet counts were significantly lower in groups 1 and 0 than in AC (p = 0.0128 and p = 0.0041, respectively). MPV, P-LCR and the PDW were significantly higher in group 0 than in group 1 and AC (p = 0.0352 and 0.0433, p = 0.0059 and 0.0052, p = 0.00461 and 0.0146, respectively). The indexes of group 1 were almost the same compared with AC with respect to MPV, P-LCR and PDW. In conclusion, these findings suggest that the measurement of platelet indexes may reflect the underlying pathophysiological state and subsequent clinical events in the patients. In particular, lower P-LCR seems to identify patients with positive coronary angiography.
Copyright 2006 S. Karger AG, Basel.