Evaluation of mean platelet volume in patients with hepatitis B virus infection.

OBJECTIVE Mean platelet volume (MPV), which is determined by a routine complete blood count, is a parameter that is usually overlooked by clinicians. The present study was designed to investigate the association between MPV and different disease states in patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. METHODS A total of 120 patients, including 17 with acute hepatitis B (AHB), 62 with chronic hepatitis B (CHB), and 41 with chronic severe hepatitis B (CSHB), as well as 58 healthy controls (HCs) were enrolled in the study. At study entry, blood samples were collected from all subjects to examine liver function and renal function, determine the international normalized ratio and perform routine hematological tests. RESULTS We demonstrated that MPV was significantly increased in CSHB and CHB patients compared with HCs and AHB patients (all P<0.05). Among the patient groups, the CSHB patients had the highest MPV. Increased MPV was clinically associated with severe liver disease. CONCLUSIONS MPV is significantly increased in chronic HBV-infected patients and is associated with disease severity; thus, it may serve as an important biomarker.