Clinical value of mean platelet volume for impaired cardiopulmonary function in very old male patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

High mean platelet volume (MPV) is a marker of platelet activation. The present study was designed to test if high MPV is associated with impaired cardiopulmonary function in patients with COPD. One hundred and sixteen male outpatients (mean age, 86.03 ± 4.29 years) with COPD were recruited. Blood samples were collected for measurements of MPV and other laboratory data. Lung function and cardiac function were also assessed. Multiple linear regression analyses revealed that MPV was negatively correlated with left ventricular ejection fraction (β = −0.252, p = 0.008) and the predicted value of forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1% predicted) (β = −0.384, p = 0.0001), whereas MPV was positively correlated with right pulmonary arterial diameter (β = 0.311, p = 0.005). The present study showed an association between high MPV, a marker of platelet activation, and impaired cardiopulmonary function in elderly COPD male patients. High MPV may be regarded as an early predictive marker of impaired cardiopulmonary function in COPD.