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Updated: Mar 24, 2026
Routine Screening Method for Microparticles in Platelet Transfusions
Published on: January 31, 2018
Mean platelet volume is decreased in adults with active lupus disease
Guillermo Delgado-García1, Dionicio Ángel Galarza-Delgado2, Iris Colunga-Pedraza3
1Departamento de Medicina Interna, Hospital Universitário, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Monterrey, México.
Background:
Only a few biomarkers are available for assessing disease activity in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Mean platelet volume (MPV) has been recently studied as an inflammatory biomarker. It is currently unclear whether MPV may also play a role as a biomarker of disease activity in adult patients with SLE.
Objective:
We investigated the association between MPV and disease activity in adult patients with SLE.
Methods:
In this retrospective study, we compared two groups of adult patients divided according to disease activity (36 per group). Subjects were age- and gender-matched.
Results:
MPV was significantly decreased with respect to those of inactive patients (7.16±1.39 vs. 8.16±1.50, p=0.005). At a cutoff level of 8.32 fL, MPV has a sensitivity of 86% and a specificity of 41% for the detection of disease activity. A modest positive correlation was found between MPV and albumin (r=0.407, p=0.001), which in turn is inversely associated with disease activity.
Conclusions:
In summary, MPV is decreased in adult patients with active lupus disease, and positively correlated with albumin, another biomarker of disease activity. Prospective studies are needed to evaluate the prognostic value of this biomarker.
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