Platelet counts in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease

Platelet counts in patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) have been reported to be lower than in control populations in one small study but data are sparse. We retrospectively audited real world platelet data from 290 ADPKD patients with corresponding age and sex-matched controls. We analysed 42 972 individual blood counts and patients with ADPKD had statistically lower platelet counts (213 +/- 63 vs. 238 +/- 69 x 10(9)/L, p < 0.01) on dialysis. In the transplant and chronic kidney disease (CKD) groups, there were no significant differences in the platelet counts. The magnitude of the difference in platelet numbers was small and unlikely to be clinically significant, so findings of low platelets in ADPKD should be further investigated.