The Impact of Acute Brucellosis on Mean Platelet Volume and Red Blood Cell Distribution

Abstract

Background:Brucellosis is an inflammatory disease which may infect any organs or systems in the body. Mean Platelet Volume (MPV) is one of the most frequently used surrogate markers of platelet function. It reveals the presence of disease activity in many inflammatory diseases. Red blood cell distribution width (RDW) is a parameter that measures variation in red blood cell size or red blood cell volume. Its predictive value approves inflammatory and infectious diseases.Objectives:The current study aimed to determine the assessment levels of red blood cell distribution in cases with acute brucellosis.Patients and Methods:The current study investigated whether MPV and RDW played any roles in acute brucellosis diagnosis. The study was conducted from 2008 to 2014 through prospective examination of the inflammatory markers found in adult patients with acute brucellosis.Results:The follow-up within the year after treatment was examined. The values of age, gender, leukocyte count, C-reactive protein, RDW and MPV were recorded. The study included 351 subjects, 250 of them in the acute brucellosis group and 101 in the control group. The mean MPV levels were 7.64 ± 1.30 fL, and 7.67 ± 1.29 fL in the acute brucellosis and control groups, respectively (P > 0.05). The mean CRP levels were 32.57 ± 53.20 mg/dL, and 4.81 ± 4.89 mg/dL in the acute brucellosis and control groups, respectively (P < 0.05). There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups regarding the RDW level and the mean leukocyte count (P > 0.05).Conclusions:While the CRP value was in patients with acute brucellosis in the current study, the MPV, RDW and leukocyte counts were within the normal range. CRP value remains the most valuable inflammatory marker in cases of acute brucellosis.

Could mean platelet volume be a useful marker for infectious diseases? a review of literature

“…Compared with controls, lower MPV levels in patients with brucellosis, or higher MPV levels in children with brucella arthritis, or lastly similiar MPV levels in acute brucellosis patients have been showed [11,[22][23][24][25]. There are also trials showing lower MPV values in Brucella patients with splenomegaly or indicating no significantly difference in MPV levels compared with patients without splenomegaly [11,23].…”

“…No difference in MPV values between patient groups according to their STAT results has been found [22]. Furthermore, there are studies indicating a negative correlation or no correlation between MPV-STAT, MPV-CRP or MPV-ESR in Brucella patients [11,[22][23][24][25][26]. Except from Brucellosis patients, although MPV has been reported to be inversely correlated with CRP and ESR in a trial investigating children with diagnosis of infection or inflammatory diseases, MPV values have been found positively correlated with CRP in patients with cellulitis and in children with urinary tract infection [13,14,27].…”

<p>Usefulness of Blood Parameters for Preliminary Diagnosis of Brucellosis</p>

“…22 Another study reported that patients with the acute brucellosis exhibited higher CRP levels than the control group. 6,13,23 Some other studies have suggested that elevated CRP level may also be associated with disease severity and mortality in hospitalized patients with community-acquired pneumonia. 24 In our study, CRP was significantly higher in brucellosis patients, which indicates that CRP is a valuable marker for the diagnosis of brucellosis.…”

“…WBC count can be considered as a marker for leukocytosis in brucellosis. 13 Neutrophils and lymphocytes play an important role in inflammatory processes. Physiological immune responses are characterized by an increase in the number of neutrophils and a decrease in the number of lymphocytes.…”

“…10,11 Research has shown that platelets also contribute to the inflammatory response. [12][13][14] Changes in hematological markers are commonly observed in brucellosis. 6 Hematological markers, including white blood cell count, platelet count (PLT), mean platelet volume (MPV), platelet distribution width (PDW), red cell distribution width (RDW), neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR), monocyte to lymphocyte ratio (MLR), and CRP test, have been used in the preliminary diagnosis of brucellosis, along with serological tests.…”