Mean Platelet Volume and Thrombotic Genotypes Predict Venous Thromboembolism Risk

Researchers, led by Lisa Jakobsen, evaluated the relation between different prothrombotic genotypes and a high mean platelet volume (MPV) to determine if there was a “joint effect” on risk for venous thromboembolism (VTE). The authors’ article, published in Thrombosis and Haemostasis, reported that the combined effects of high MPV and prothrombotic genotypes had an additive impact on risk for VTE. According to Jakobsen, this finding suggested that “there is no biological interaction between these risk factors in the pathogenesis of VTE.”

The study enrolled 653 incident cases of VTE and a cohort of 1,774 subjects from the Tromsø Study (1994–2012). Researchers designated MPV strata of <8.5, 8.5–9.5, and ≥9.5fL, and genotyped five single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs)—rs8176719 (ABO), rs6025 (F5), rs1799963 (F2), rs2036914 (F11), and rs2066865 (FGG). Models were adjusted for age, sex, body mass index, and platelet count.

Mean Platelet Volume and SNP Profile for VTE Risk

Based on their observations, the authors concluded that high MPV combined with presence of risk alleles—either in individual SNPs or in various combinations—did result in an additive effect of VTE risk. Reportedly, subjects with high MPV (≥9.5fL) and ≥4 risk alleles had hazard ratios (HRs) of 2.80 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.77–4.43) for overall VTE and 4.60 (95% CI, 2.20–9.60) for unprovoked events, respectively, compared to cases with MPV <8.5fL and zero or one risk alleles.

Given that Jakobsen and colleagues did not find a “supra-additive” impact on VTE risk estimates, they ultimately concluded that high MPV and prothrombotic genotype profiles are both risk factors for VTE, but there does not appear to be a biological interaction.

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