Mean platelet volume as a marker of future cardiovascular disease risk in pregnant women with impaired fasting glucose and impaired glucose tolerance

Aim: To compare the mean platelet volume (MPV) of pregnant women with mild glycemic disorders with that of healthy pregnant women to find whether these disorders are risk factors for future cardiovascular disease. Materials and methods: Fasting blood glucose and 50-g oral glucose loading were measured. A 100-g, 3-h oral glucose tolerance test was done when plasma glucose was ≥140 mg/dL, following a loading test. According to the test results, 4 groups were formed: control, impaired fasting glucose, false positive loading test, and impaired glucose tolerance. Th e hematologic parameters were compared in all of the groups. Results: The mean MPV of the control group was lower than those of the other groups. The MPV had high sensitivity in prediction of the false positive loading test (sensitivity: 70.0%, specificity: 55.2%, AUC = 0.602, P = 0.029) and impaired glucose tolerance (sensitivity: 73.1%, specificity: 46.1%, AUC = 0.621, P = 0.009), although its sensitivity was lower than the others in prediction of impaired fasting glucose (sensitivity: 60.7%, specificity: 58.2%, AUC = 0.558, P = 0.374). Conclusion: Mild glycemic disorders are associated with increased MPV. Increased MPV might be associated with elevated baseline cardiovascular risk factors. Individuals with these glycemic disorders might be more aggressively targeted with strategies to lower cardiovascular disease risk.