Higher platelet P-selectin in male patients with inflammatory bowel disease compared to healthy males

AIM: To observe if the total amount of platelet P-selectin (tP-selectin) in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) was related to disease entity or activity, 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA) medication or gender. METHODS: tP-selectin was measured by immunoassay in seventeen IBD patients and twelve healthy controls. RESULTS: Compared to controls, there was no difference of tP-selectin in patients related to disease entity or activity and 5-ASA medication. When the groups were split according to gender the male patient group showed higher levels of tP-selectin compared to male controls (153 ng/mL vs 94 ng/mL, P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Increased tP-selectin levels may alter the inflammatory response and susceptibility to thromboembolic disease. As previously shown with soluble P-selectin, tP-selectin shows gender dependent differences important to consider in future studies.