Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 4, 2026
Comprehensive Analysis of Procoagulant Platelets Exhibiting Features of Necrosis, Apoptosis and Platelet Activation
Published on: May 23, 2025
Coated-platelet levels are persistently elevated in patients with mild traumatic brain injury
Calin I Prodan1, Andrea S Vincent, George L Dale
1Veterans Administration Medical Center and Department of Neurology (Dr Prodan), Department of Medicine (Dr Dale), University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City and Cognitive Science Research Center, University of Oklahoma, Norman (Dr Vincent).
Objective:
Coated-platelets are procoagulant platelets that are elevated in patients with large-vessel ischemic stroke and are associated with stroke recurrence. Because of recent reports showing an increased risk for stroke following traumatic brain injury (TBI), we undertook a pilot study to investigate coated-platelet synthesis in veterans with TBI.
Design:
Cross-sectional study.
Participants:
Forty patients with a diagnosis of mild TBI (mTBI) and 40 controls without a history of TBI and matched for age, gender, and ethnicity/race were enrolled in the study.
Main Measure:
Coated-platelet levels were determined in patients with mTBI and controls. The time period since most recent injury ranged from 6 months to 9 years.
Results:
Coated-platelet levels were significantly higher for mTBI patients than for controls (mean ± SD = 52.0% ± 14.0% vs 35.4% ± 13.0%; P < .0001). No relationship between these levels and the length of time since the last injury was found (P = .5).
Conclusions:
Coated-platelet levels are markedly and persistently elevated in individuals with mTBI. These data suggest a link to previous findings of increased stroke risk and chronic inflammation among individuals who sustained a TBI.
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