Assessing the mean platelet volume in hypertensive patients of Hyderabad, Sindh: a cross-sectional study

Background: Hypertension is a renowned silent killer, which slowly and gradually destroys vital organs of the body without any clinical manifestations. Every year around 9 million people die due to complications of hypertension including Myocardial Infarction, Stroke, Heart Failure and Renal Failure. Mean platelet volume is an emerging biomarker of inflammation which can indicate the presence and severity of an underlying pathology. Due to is easy availability and low cost it is a preferred marker for assessment of inflammation. Objective: To evaluate the effects of hypertension on mean platelet volume. Materials & Methods: A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Muhammad Medical College Hospital, Mirpur Khas, Sindh, from January 2023 to March 2024 on 385 subjects through convenience sampling. Blood pressure was measured twice, two hours apart of every subject and blood samples of all were sent to laboratory for assessment of mean platelet volume. Statistical analysis was conducted on MS Excel and GraphPad Prism 9. Descriptive statistics were performed with p≤0.05 taken as significant. Results: The study results show that 170 participants (44.15%) who were hypertensive had raised MPV in comparison to normal population. The p-value of 0.034 indicates a statistically significant difference between the groups. Conclusion: A significant association was found between raised MPV and hypertension as compared to non-hypertensive subjects.