RESUMO
Profiles of platelet volume distributions and platelet count were evaluated in 171 normal infants and children, 37 patients with sickle cell disease [SCD] and 44 patients with sickle cell trait [SCT] . SCD group of patients showed significant increase in MPV and PDW, while no significant changes were detected in PC and PCT when compared with the control group. Patients with SCT showed only significant increase in MPV when compared with the control group. Yet, there was no significant difference between SCT and SCD groups of patients except for the increased PDW in SCD patients. It was also noticed that SCD patients during the vaso-occlusive crisis had a significant increase in MPV when compared with those during the hemolytic crisis [P < 0.05]. ..[MPV: mean platelet volume, PC: platelet count, PCT: plateletcrit and PDW: platelet distribution width]