Which has an Influence on Mean Platelet Volume: Allergic Rhinitis or Asthma?

Aim: Bronchial asthma and allergic rhinitis are mediated by similar allergic inflammatory mechanisms. Platelets play a role in allergic reactions which are inflammatory processes. The mean platelet volume (MPV) is a marker of platelet activation. This study aimed to investigate MPV value differences between children with allergic rhinitis during symptomatic or asymptomatic periods to determine whether MPV is a useful indicator of inflammation in allergic rhinitis. Materials and Methods: The records of those patients with allergic rhinitis were analyzed retrospectively. Patients over two years of age who had complete blood count results from both their asymptomatic and the symptomatic periods were included in this study. Clinical characteristics (age, age at diagnosis, symptoms, and comorbid allergic diseases) and laboratory data (thrombocyte count, MPV, white blood cell count, eosinophil count, and percentage, immunoglobulin E level, and skin prick test results) were recorded from the patient files and the hospital registry system. Results: MPV values during the symptomatic periods were statistically significantly higher than those from the asymptomatic period (p<0.001) in all patients. When the patients were grouped according to having asthma or not, MPV was found to be higher in the symptomatic period compared to the asymptomatic period in the group with asthma, but there was no difference between these two periods in the group without asthma (p=0.017, p=0.102 respectively). Additionally, MPV levels were significantly higher in the asthma group during both the symptomatic and the asymptomatic periods (p=0.04, p=0.013, respectively). Conclusion: This study suggests that MPV cannot be used as an inflammation indicator in the symptomatic period for patients with allergic rhinitis. Asthma influences MPV values. It is recommended to conduct more detailed and prospective studies to show MPV inflammation in AR.