The effect of standard therapy on mean platelet volume in patients with chronic hepatitis C.

INTRODUCTION: Chronic hepatitis C (CHC) infection is a systemic disorder that can lead to liver inflammation, fibrosis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular cancer. The mean platelet volume (MPV) is widely used as an inflammatory marker to evaluate the platelet function and the status of systemic inflammation. AIM: To determine the pre- and post-treatment MPV values in CHC patients who were administered a 48-week antiviral therapy based on systemic inflammation. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We enrolled 28 patients, diagnosed with CHC genotype 1b, who received a 48-week antiviral therapy and attended regular follow-up, and 28 healthy individuals. In diagnosing CHC, a positive anti-HCV for a minimum duration of 6 months and a positive serum HCV RNA were accepted as the criteria. The patients were assigned to one of two groups based on their group 1 (pre-treatment values) and group 2 (post-treatment values) after 3 months therapy. We analysed and compared the blood samples of all of the groups. RESULTS: The MPV value was 8.89 ±1.20 in group 1 and 8.00 ±1.07 in group 2, and 8.21 ±1.18 in the control group. The value in group 1 was detected to be statistically significantly different from that in group 2 and the control group (p < 0.0001, p = 0.045, respectively). No statistically significant difference was observed between group 2 and the control group (p = 0.455). CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study suggest that MPV could represent an inexpensive marker for use in assessing low-grade inflammation in patients with CHC.

Red cell distribution width is associated with albuminuria in adults with familial Mediterranean fever.

Systematic inflammation, enhanced oxidative stress, and endothelial dysfunction are important for evolution and progression of renal damage, and they cause an increase in red cell distribution width (RDW). Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) patients who are in the attack-free period and its relation with albuminuria and performance on assessment of microalbuminuria. One hundred and seventy-seven patients who had been diagnosed in accordance with Tel-hoshmer criteria and were in the attack-free period, and 143 age- and sex-matched healthy individuals were enrolled in our study. RDW values of FMF patients were higher compared with those of the controls (13.85 ± 1.07 and 13.15 ± 0.91, respectively; p < 0.0001). RDW values of FMF patients with microalbuminuria were higher compared with those of FMF patients with normoalbuminuria and the control group (p = 0.002 and p < 0.0001, respectively). RDW values of FMF patients with normoalbuminuria were higher compared with those of the control group (p < 0.0001). We have showed RDW levels are positively correlated with albuminuria (r = 0.185, p = 0.014). When assessing microalbuminuria with RDW in the patients, a cutoff value of 13.85 with sensitivity of 60%, specificity of 62%, and p = 0.002 (area under curve: 0.651, 95% confidence interval 0.563-0.738), was observed according to receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis. Among the various variables associated with albuminuria in multivariate logistic regression analyses, RDW remained an independent predictor of albuminuria (95% confidence interval 0.479-0.942, p = 0.021). RDW may be associated with albuminuria in FMF patients and it can be a predictor of microalbuminuria.

The relationship between red cell distribution width and homozygous M694V mutation in familial Mediterranean fever patients.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is characterized by recurrent and self-limiting attacks with peritonitis, pleuritis, arthritis, and erysipelas-like erythema. We aimed to investigate the red cell distribution width (RDW) level as an inflammatory marker in FMF patients compared with normal subjects. DESIGN AND SETTINGS: A retrospective study of FMF patients at the Department of Gastroenterology, Cumhuriyet University, between November 2011-February 2013. METHODS: A total of 249 FMF patients and 131 age- and sex-matched control participants were included in the currrent study. RDW levels were also analyzed by standard methods. Each patient was given 2 mL of blood sample to obtain genomic DNA. RESULTS: Statistically significant differences were observed in RDW values between the FMF patients and the control group. Also, RDW levels were higher in the FMF patients with the homozygous M94V mutation compared with those with other mutations. The receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis suggested that the optimum RDW cutoff point for the FMF patients was 13.95, with a sensitivity, specificity, negative predictive value, and positive predictive value of 70%, 64%, 68%, and 66%, respectively (area under the curve: 0.711, 95% confidence interval 0.627-0.795, P < .0001). CONCLUSION: We suggest that RDW may show subclinical inflammation in FMF patients. RDW may be a promising marker in predicting the homozygous M694V mutation in FMF patients.