RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: We aimed to determine the association between platelet indices including plateletcrit (PCT), mean platelet volume (MPV), platelet distribution width (PDW), and proteinuria associated with hypertension (HT) as well as the relative power of each to predict proteinuria. METHODS: The study included 223 patients (68 men and 155 women) with primary HT. PCT, MPV, PDW, and proteinuria levels were measured. The patients were divided into two groups according to proteinuria status based on 24-hr urinary protein excretion: proteinuria (+) group (15 men and 40 women) and proteinuria (-) group (53 men and 115 women). RESULTS: The mean and SD of platelet count, PDW, PCT, and MPV were 278.8+/-49.6x10(9)/L, 13.5+/-1.8%, 0.31+/-0.07%, and 11.3+/-2.6 fL, respectively. The mean platelet count, PCT, MPV, and PDW were significantly higher in the proteinuria (+) group than in the proteinuria (-) group (P<0.05); there were no significant differences in the other blood parameters between the two groups. The platelet count, PCT, MPV, and PDW were independent risk factors predictive of proteinuria according to a stepwise regression analysis of PDW, PCT, and MPV. PCT was the strongest independent predictor of proteinuria. CONCLUSIONS: The platelet indices PCT, PDW, and MPV were significantly higher in patients with proteinuria than in those without it. Among these three indices, PCT was the strongest predictor of proteinuria.