Clinical Utility of Platelet Indices and HbA1c in Type-2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients

Diabetes Mellitus is a chronic metabolic syndrome principally characterized by persistent hyperglycemia. Most of the type 2 DM patient suffers from micro or macrovascular complications. Early diagnosis of these complications can help to treat the conditions successfully. The positive association between platelet indices (MPV, PDW, P-LCR) and glycaemic control parameters (FBS, RBS & HbA1c) indicate the early detection of diabetic complications. The diagnostic use of these biomarkers will provide reliable, accurate, and cost-effective information to predict future thrombotic events, especially in countries with poor socioeconomic status like Bangladesh. This study aimed to evaluate MPV, PDW, and P-LCR along with HbA1c to establish them as potential markers for diabetic complications. A prospective cross-sectional study of platelet indices (MPV, PDW, and P-LCR) was carried out on 75 cases of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus patients and 75 controls of normal blood glucose levels. Blood was collected in EDTA (ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid) and analyzed in a Sysmex XN-1000 automated hematology analyzer for platelet indices [MPV, platelet distribution width (PDW) and platelet-large cell ratio]. Statistical evaluation was performed by using the Student’s unpaired t-test for mean and comparison. The age of the patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus was 41 to 70 years. The mean duration of diabetes was 3.6 ± 1.7 years. MPV, PDW, and P-LCR were significantly higher in cases compared to control (11.3 ± 1.0 vs. 9.1 ± 0.6, 14.2 ± 2.5 vs. 10.7 ± 0.7 fl, 32.0 ± 8.1 vs. 21.0 ± 2.4%). which was statistically significant. The higher values of MPV, PDW, and P-LCR indicates that they serve as better risk indicator for the evaluation of initial vascular complications in diabetes mellitus patients.