Increased mean platelet volume is associated with arterial stiffness

The brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) is a useful index of arterial stiffness. Mean platelet volume (MPV), an indicator of platelet activation, is associated with hypertension, stroke, and coronary artery disease, all of which may be caused by arteriosclerosis. However, little research has been conducted to investigate the relationship between MPV and arterial stiffness. In this cross-sectional study, we investigated the relationship between platelet count, MPV, and baPWV in 2645 apparently healthy Chinese participants (1676 men, 969 women) in a general health examination. Different metabolic parameters were compared across MPV quintiles (Q1: <= 8.1 fl, Q2: 8.2-8.5 fl, Q3: 8.6-9.6 fl, Q4: 9.7-10.7 fl, and Q5: >= 10.8 fl). Age-adjusted mean values of baPWV gradually increased with MPV quintiles (Q1 = 1124, Q2 = 1134, Q3 = 1199, Q4=1207, and Q5=1270 cm/s). Univariate analysis showed that age, sex, smoking status, body mass index (BMI), systolic blood pressure (SBP), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), fasting plasma glucose (FPG), total platelet count, and MPV were significantly associated with baPWV. In addition, age, sex, BMI, MPV, SBP, and FPG were significant factors in the multivariate model with baPWV. Notably, MPV was found to be a significant determinant for baPWV (beta=0.198; P<0.001). The findings show that elevated MPV is positively correlated to arterial stiffness.