Mean Platelet Volume as a Biomarker of Disease Activity and Therapeutic Response in Urticaria: A Prospective Observational Study

Srishti Yadav, Akhil, Ashutosh Kumar, KS Dhillon, Seema Awasthi, Deepti Arora
Author(s)
13rd year, Department of Pathology, Teerthanker Mahaveer Medical College and Research Centre, Moradabad, UP, India. 2Assistant professor, Department of Pathology, Teerthanker Mahaveer Medical College and Research Centre, Moradabad, UP, India. 3Professor, Department of Pathology, Teerthanker Mahaveer Medical College and Research Centre, Moradabad, UP, India. 4Professor & Head, Department of Dermatology, Teerthanker Mahaveer Medical College and Research Centre, Moradabad, UP, India. 5Professor & Head, Department of Pathology, Teerthanker Mahaveer Medical College and Research Centre, Moradabad, UP, India. 6Professor Department of Pathology, Teerthanker Mahaveer Medical College and Research Centre, Moradabad, UP, India

Abstract

Background: Urticaria is a common inflammatory skin disorder which is characterized by recurrent wheals and angioedema. New evidence suggests that activation of platelets may be involved in its pathogenesis. MPV is a parameter of platelet activation and has been suggested as a possible urticaria inflammatory marker. The goal of this study is to analyse the MPV levels in the patients with urticaria, their association with the duration of urticaria as well as its frequency, and MPV changes after antihistaminic therapy. Material and Methods: This was an observational longitudinal study of 138 cases of clinically diagnosed Urticaria, presented in a tertiary care hospital. After thorough clinical evaluation, complete blood count was conducted including estimation of MPVs in an automated hematology analyzer. All patients were treated with conventional antihistaminic drugs and underwent periodic hematological examinations. Pre-treatment and post-treatment MPV were compared and associations with clinical characteristics were analyzed. Results: The most frequent sub-type was acute urticaria (60.9%). No statistically significant inter group differences were observed in MPV or platelet count at baseline or after treatment between each urticaria sub-type. However statistically significant reduction within group in MPV were observed in acute urticaria (10.11±1.56 vs. 9.97±1.50 fL; p=0.048) and chronic continuous urticaria (10.34±1.53 vs. 9.08±1.06 fL; p=0.041) after treatment. Overall, MPV decreased significantly from 10.16±1.60 fL to 9.95±1.52 fL after treatment (p=0.041) in entire spectrum of urticaria patients. Platelet counts and other hematological parameters, on the other hand, did not change significantly. Conclusion: It was concluded that MPV was significantly reduced after giving antihistaminic therapy, indicating its potential application as a simple, inexpensive biomarker of inflammatory activity and inflammatory response in urticaria patients.

Keywords: Urticaria, MPV; Platelet Activation; Antihistaminic Therapy; Inflammatory Biomarkers; Treatment Response.

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