AbstractBackground: Platelets are the important constituents of blood which are the main players during the process of thrombus formation. Endothelium produces a large number of substances that affect blood flow and can lead to a hypertensive state. Large observational studies indicate that in hypertension, cardiovascular morbidity and mortality are related to the severity of hypertensive state and to the development of cardiac and vascular changes. Platelet count (PLC) and elevated mean platelet volume (MPV) levels are thought to be closely associated with cardiovascular diseases such as acute ischemic stroke, left ventricular hypertrophy, carotid atherosclerosis as well as hypertension. This study was done to evaluate PLC and MPV in hypertensive patients compared to control normotensive subjects. Methods: This was a cross sectional case control study in tertiary care hospital in Mangalore. During this study period 50 control and 50 cases were analyzed. Results: Among the controls majority are males (68%) with mean age of 44 years. Among the cases, majority are males (62%), with mean age of 60 years. In control, mean PLC were 2, 53,380 cells and average MPV was 8.46 fL. Among the case group, the mean PLC was 2, 36, 417 cells and average MPV was 8.40 fL. Since the p values are more than 0.05, there is no difference in PLC and MPV in cases and controls at the 5% level of significance. There was no increase in the platelet indices in hypertensive patients compared to normotensive patients. Conclusion: Though we started our study anticipating an increase in PLC and MPV in hypertensive patients, the results we obtained could not prove such a correlation. A further study and research involving a great number of patients is needed in this field to support the hypothesis.
Keywords: Platelet Count; Mean Platelet Volume; Hypertension; Correlation.