Association between mean platelet volume and disease activity in systemic lupus erythematosus: comparison with anti-dsDNA antibodies

Abstract

Background. Mean platelet volume (MPV) is routinely reported in the complete blood count; however, its role in determining disease activity in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) remains unclear. Objectives. To explore the association between MPV and SLE disease activity and to assess whether MPV can distinguish active from inactive disease in comparison with anti-double-stranded DNA (anti-dsDNA) antibodies. Methods. A total of 100 patients with SLE (54 with active and 46 with inactive disease) and 40 healthy controls were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. The Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI) was used to evaluate disease activity. MPV, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), complement C3 and C4, and anti-dsDNA levels were assessed. Correlation analysis was used to assess associations between laboratory parameters and disease activity. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to assess the ability of MPV and anti-dsDNA to distinguish active from inactive SLE. Results. Mean MPV was lower in patients with SLE than in healthy controls (8.15 ± 1.45 vs. 9.85 ± 1.12 fL, p < 0.001). Patients with active SLE exhibited lower MPV, C3, and C4 levels and higher anti-dsDNA and ESR levels compared with patients with inactive SLE. MPV was inversely correlated with SLEDAI (r = −0.82, p < 0.001) and anti-dsDNA (r = −0.58, p < 0.001), whereas anti-dsDNA showed a positive correlation with SLEDAI (r = 0.68, p < 0.001). The area under the curve (AUC) was 0.78 for MPV and 0.89 for anti-dsDNA. Conclusions. Higher disease activity in patients with SLE was associated with lower MPV. MPV was less discriminative than anti-dsDNA in distinguishing between active and inactive disease, but it is readily available and could be a valuable addition to the parameters used to assess disease activity.