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Assessment of red blood cell distribution width and mean platelet volume in children with epistaxis
Selin Üstün Bezgin1, Taliye Çakabay1, Işık Odaman Al2
1İstanbul Kanuni Sultan Süleyman Training and Research Hospital, Otorhinolaryngology Department, İstanbul, Turkey.
Insights
Children with epistaxis (nosebleeds) had significantly lower red blood cell distribution width (RDW) values. Mean platelet volume (MPV) showed no significant difference, suggesting RDW may be a marker for nosebleeds.
Area of Science:
- Hematology
- Pediatrics
- Clinical Medicine
Background:
- Epistaxis is a common pediatric condition.
- Understanding hematological markers associated with epistaxis can aid diagnosis and management.
- Red blood cell distribution width (RDW) and mean platelet volume (MPV) are routine hematological parameters.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between RDW, MPV, and epistaxis in children.
- To determine if RDW or MPV levels differ in children experiencing nosebleeds compared to healthy controls.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 105 children with epistaxis and 100 age- and sex-matched controls.
- Measurement of RDW and MPV values in all participants.
- Statistical comparison of RDW and MPV between the epistaxis and control groups.
Main Results:
- Children with epistaxis exhibited significantly lower RDW values compared to the control group (P < 0.05).
- No significant difference was observed in MPV values between children with epistaxis and controls (P > 0.05).
Conclusions:
- Lower RDW values are associated with epistaxis in children, potentially serving as an accompanying marker.
- The findings suggest that decreased RDW might influence bleeding tendency by affecting thrombotic activities.
- Further research is warranted to confirm the relationship and elucidate the underlying mechanisms between RDW, MPV, and epistaxis.
Objective:
This study aimed to investigate whether there is a relationship between red blood cell distribution width, mean platelet volume and epistaxis in children.
Methods:
Between January 2015 and July 2016, 105 children who were referred to our clinic with epistaxis and 100 sex- and age-matched controls were retrospectively analyzed. Red blood cell distribution width (RDW) and mean platelet volume (MPV) values were determined in both groups.
Results:
RDW values were found significantly (P < 0.05) lower in the group with epistaxis than in the control group (11.95 ± 1.31 vs. 12.74 ± 1.21). MPV was 7.49 ± 1.33 in the group with epistaxis and 7.23 ± 1.06 in the control group, and there was no significant difference between the groups (p > 0.05).
Conclusion:
We found no difference between MPV values of both groups and significantly lower RDW values in children with epistaxis. Decreased RDW values were considered as an accompanying marker rather than a result of epistaxis. In addition, it may be thought that low RDW values may increase the bleeding tendency by disrupting the thrombotic activities. Further studies are needed to validate the relation of these parameters with epistaxis and its mechanisms.
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