ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT Objective: The mean platelet volume (MPV) is a potential marker of platelet reactivity. Increased MPV levels are shown to be the predictors of inflammations. The aim of this study was to investigate whether MPV is an inflammatory indicator in children with allergic rhinitis. Methods: The study included 44 children with allergic rhinitis between the ages of 6 and 18 years (47.1% boys), and 45 healthy children between the ages of 6 and 18 years (52.9% boys), and the MPV, platelet (PLT), white blood cell (WBC), haemoglobin (Hb) values in their haemograms were compared. Results: No differences were found between the allergic rhinitis group and the healthy control group in terms of their age and their gender (p = 0.15 and 0.60, respectively). While the MPV value of the patient group was 6.9 fL (6-9), the MVP value of the control group was 7.0 fL (5.9-9.7). There was no statistically significant difference between the patient and the control groups in terms of their MPV data (p = 0.15). In addition, there were no differences between the patient and control groups in terms of PLT count, WBC count, or Hb data (p = 0.09, 0.22, and 0.22, respectively). Conclusion: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to analyse the role of MPV as an inflammatory indicator in children with allergic rhinitis. According to our results, MPV cannot be used as an indicator of inflammation in children with allergic rhinitis.