Author/Authors :
Milovanovic Alempijevic, Tamara Clinic of Gastroenterology and Hepatology - Clinical Center of Serbia, Serbia , Lalosevic, Milica Stojkovic Clinic of Gastroenterology and Hepatology - Clinical Center of Serbia, Serbia , Dumic, Igor Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Sciences, Rochester, USA , Jocic, Nevena Clinic of Gastroenterology and Hepatology - Clinical Center of Serbia, Serbia , Pavlovic Markovic, Aleksandra Clinic of Gastroenterology and Hepatology - Clinical Center of Serbia, Serbia , Dragasevic, Sanja Clinic of Gastroenterology and Hepatology - Clinical Center of Serbia, Serbia , Jovicic, Ivana Clinic of Gastroenterology and Hepatology - Clinical Center of Serbia, Serbia , Lukic, Snezana Clinic of Gastroenterology and Hepatology - Clinical Center of Serbia, Serbia , Popovic, Dragan Clinic of Gastroenterology and Hepatology - Clinical Center of Serbia, Serbia , Milosavljevic, Tomica Clinic of Gastroenterology and Hepatology - Clinical Center of Serbia, Serbia
Abstract :
Objective
Keeping in mind the rising prevalence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and the need to establish noninvasive tests for its detection, the aim of our study was to investigate whether platelet count (PC), mean platelet volume (MPV), and platelet distribution width (PDW) can predict the presence of liver fibrosis in this group of patients.
Methods
In 98 patients with NAFLD and 60 healthy volunteers, complete blood counts with automated differential counts were performed and values of PC, PDW, MPV, and PCT were analyzed.
Results
Patients with NAFLD had lower PC and higher MPV, PCT, and PDW compared to the controls (P < 0.05). When NAFLD group was stratified according to severity of liver fibrosis, there was a statistically significant difference in the average values of PDW and PC between the groups (P < 0.05).
Conclusion
Patients with NAFLD have significantly higher values of PCT, PDW, and MPV when compared to the healthy controls. Further studies are needed to establish their potential use for prediction of the degree of liver steatosis and fibrosis in NAFLD patients
Keywords :
Diagnostic Accuracy , Platelet Count , Platelet Indices , Noninvasive Assessment , Fibrosis in Nonalcoholic , Fatty Liver Disease Patients
