Mean Platelet Volume, a Novel Biomarker in Adolescents with Severe Primary Dysmenorrhea

Menstrual problems in adolescence: relationship to serum vitamins A and E, and systemic inflammation

BACKGROUND

Vitamin status and inflammatory mechanisms may be related to menstrual cycle abnormalities. We investigated the associations between serum fat soluble vitamin (vitamins A and E) concentrations and biomarkers of inflammation and antioxidant status with menstrual characteristics, primary dysmenorrhea (PD) and premenstrual syndrome (PMS) in healthy adolescents.

METHODS

A total of 897 adolescent girls either suffering from PMS (n = 134), PD (n = 322), PMS and PD (n = 293) or healthy adolescents (n = 148) were recruited. Serum vitamin A and E, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), antibody titers to Hsp27 (anti-Hsp27), serum prooxidant-antioxidant balance (PAB), WBC, mean platelet volume (MPV), and platelet distribution width (PDW) and RBC distribution width (RDW) were measured. Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and RDW-to-platelet ratio (RPR) were calculated.

RESULTS

Girls with long bleeding periods had lower concentrations of serum vitamin E compared to those who reported a normal period duration. There were significantly differences between the groups reporting oligomenorrhea, regular menses and polymenorrhea with respect to NLR, RPR, MPV and PDW. Logistic regression demonstrated that the presence of both PMS and PD was positively related to higher serum hs-CRP, PAB and NLR, while serum vitamin A level was inversely related to the presence of PMS.

CONCLUSIONS

We found that serum vitamin A, hs-CRP, PAB and NLR are significantly associated with the presence of PMS and PD. Inflammatory processes may contribute to the etiology, symptoms and severity of menstrual disorders. Prospective studies are needed to elucidate the possibility of targeting oxidative stress and inflammatory process for the amelioration of menstrual symptoms.

Single and combined use of red cell distribution width, mean platelet volume, and cancer antigen 125 for differential diagnosis of ovarian cancer and benign ovarian tumors

BACKGROUND

Cancer is widely believed to result from chronic inflammation, and red cell distribution width (RDW) and mean platelet volume (MPV) are considered as inflammatory markers for cancer. We investigated the values of RDW, MPV, and cancer antigen 125 (CA125), alone or in combination, for distinguishing between ovarian cancer and benign ovarian tumors.

METHODS

The study included 326 patients with ovarian cancer, 290 patients with benign ovarian tumors, and 162 control subjects. Hematologic tests were performed at initial diagnosis.

RESULTS

RDW was increased and MPV was decreased in the ovarian cancer group compared with the control and benign ovarian tumor groups. RDW was positively correlated and MPV was negatively correlated with cancer stage. Area under the curve (AUC) analysis for ovarian cancer versus benign ovarian tumors revealed that the specificity and sensitivity were increased for the combination of MPV and CA125 compared with either marker alone, and the specificity was increased for the combination of RDW and CA125, compared with either alone. The AUCs for RDW plus CA125 and MPV plus CA125 were significantly larger than for any of the markers alone.

CONCLUSIONS

In conclusion, combinations of the markers RDW, MPV, and CA125 may improve the differential diagnosis of ovarian cancer and benign ovarian tumors.