LAUSR

Background Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a connective tissue disease involving multiple organs with an unknown etiology. Platelet function may be associated with endothelial dysfunction and immune regulatory mechanisms. Recently, an increased tendency to platelet aggregation and enhanced platelet activation have been described in SSc patients, suggesting a role for platelets in the disease itself.1 2 Objectives To evaluate platelet indices in systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients and identify their clinical significance as novel inflammatory biomarkers in correlation to markers of endothelial dysfunction: vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and flow mediated dilatation (FMD). Methods Thirty-five SSc patients were enrolled in addition to thirty-five age and sex matched healthy volunteers as controls. All patients and controls underwent full medical history taking, thorough clinical examination, assessment of severity extent of skin sclerosis using the modified Rodnan skin score, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C- reactive protein (CRP), complete blood count with special consideration to mean platelet volume (MPV), platelet distribution width and platelets count, assay for serum VEGF concentration, and brachial FMD assessment by colour duplex sonography. Results There was a highly significant decrease in the mean MPV in SSc patients compared to the controls (8.65±0.6 fl vs. 9.55±0.52 fl). There was a significant increase in the mean platelet count in SSc patients compared to controls (331.63±64.66 × 103/ml vs. 297.80±44.48 × 103/ml). In SSc patients, a significant negative correlation was found between the mean MPV and each of ESR, CRP and VEGF (r=−0.42,–0.368 and −0.55 respectively, p<0.05); and a significant positive correlation was found between the mean MPV and mean FMD (r=0.378, p<0.05). Linear regression test, showed an association between mean MPV and each of ESR and CRP (t=−3.312,–2.92 respectively, p<0.05). Conclusions MPV levels could be an easily measurable parameter to reflect the inflammatory condition and disease activity in systemic sclerosis patients. References [1] da Silva IF, Teixeira A, Oliveira J, Almeida R, Vasconcelos C2017Jan27 [2] Manetti M The crowded crossroad to angiogenesis in systemic sclerosis: where is the key to the problem?Arthritis Res Ther2016;18:36 Disclosure of Interest None declared