Evaluating Mean Platelet Volume in relation to Disease Severity in Paediatric Sickle Cell Anaemia: A Cross-Sectional Study in Kwara State, North-Central Nigeria
- 1University of Lagos
Abstract
BackgroundSickle cell anaemia (SCA) is characterised by chronic haemolysis, inflammation, platelet activation, and recurrent vaso-occlusive complications. Mean platelet volume (MPV) is a readily available platelet index, but evidence regarding its relationship with disease severity in paediatric SCA remains limited and inconsistent, particularly in African populations.
ObjectiveTo evaluate the relationship between MPV and disease severity among children with SCA in Kwara State, North-Central Nigeria.
MethodsThis hospital-based cross-sectional study included 51 clinically stable children with confirmed SCA consecutively recruited from the paediatric haematology clinic of Children Emergency Specialist Hospital, Ilorin. Complete blood count, including MPV, was performed using a Rayto RT-7600 automated haematology analyser. Disease severity was assessed using a composite clinical and laboratory scoring system based on a previously described method. Pearsons correlation, Spearmans rank correlation, simple linear regression, and the Kruskal-Wallis test were used as appropriate. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05.
ResultsOf 51 participants, 14 (27.5%) had mild, 33 (64.7%) moderate, and 4 (7.8%) severe disease. Mean MPV was 9.34 {+/-} 0.76 fL (range, 8.0-11.2). Pearsons correlation showed a weak positive, non-significant linear relationship with severity score (r = 0.231, p = 0.103), whereas Spearmans analysis showed a weak positive monotonic association ({rho} = 0.286, p = 0.042). Regression explained 5.3% of severity-score variation (R{superscript 2} = 0.053, p = 0.103). MPV did not differ significantly across severity categories (H = 2.163, p = 0.339). MPV correlated inversely with haemoglobin (r = -0.556, p < 0.001) and positively with platelet count (r = 0.307, p = 0.029).
ConclusionMPV showed a weak relationship with disease severity but inconsistent statistical evidence across analyses. The limited explained variance and absence of significant differences between severity categories do not support MPV as a standalone severity marker. Larger longitudinal studies are warranted.
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BibTeX
@misc{oladimeji2026evaluating,
title = {{Evaluating Mean Platelet Volume in relation to Disease Severity in Paediatric Sickle Cell Anaemia: A Cross-Sectional Study in Kwara State, North-Central Nigeria}},
author = {F. D. Oladimeji and A. D. Adewoyin and K. O. Oyeleke},
howpublished = {medRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = aug,
doi = {10.64898/2026.08.28.26361349},
url = {https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.08.28.26361349v1},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Evaluating Mean Platelet Volume in relation to Disease Severity in Paediatric Sickle Cell Anaemia: A Cross-Sectional Study in Kwara State, North-Central Nigeria
AU - F. D. Oladimeji
AU - A. D. Adewoyin
AU - K. O. Oyeleke
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/08/28
PB - medRxiv
DO - 10.64898/2026.08.28.26361349
UR - https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.08.28.26361349v1
AB - BackgroundSickle cell anaemia (SCA) is characterised by chronic haemolysis, inflammation, platelet activation, and recurrent vaso-occlusive complications. Mean platelet volume (MPV) is a readily available platelet index, but evidence regarding its relationship with disease severity in paediatric SCA remains limited and inconsistent, particularly in African populations. ObjectiveTo evaluate the relationship between MPV and disease severity among children with SCA in Kwara State, North-Central Nigeria. MethodsThis hospital-based cross-sectional study included 51 clinically stable children with confirmed SCA consecutively recruited from the paediatric haematology clinic of Children Emergency Specialist Hospital, Ilorin. Complete blood count, including MPV, was performed using a Rayto RT-7600 automated haematology analyser. Disease severity was assessed using a composite clinical and laboratory scoring system based on a previously described method. Pearsons correlation, Spearmans rank correlation, simple linear regression, and the Kruskal-Wallis test were used as appropriate. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. ResultsOf 51 participants, 14 (27.5%) had mild, 33 (64.7%) moderate, and 4 (7.8%) severe disease. Mean MPV was 9.34 {+/-} 0.76 fL (range, 8.0-11.2). Pearsons correlation showed a weak positive, non-significant linear relationship with severity score (r = 0.231, p = 0.103), whereas Spearmans analysis showed a weak positive monotonic association ({rho} = 0.286, p = 0.042). Regression explained 5.3% of severity-score variation (R{superscript 2} = 0.053, p = 0.103). MPV did not differ significantly across severity categories (H = 2.163, p = 0.339). MPV correlated inversely with haemoglobin (r = -0.556, p < 0.001) and positively with platelet count (r = 0.307, p = 0.029). ConclusionMPV showed a weak relationship with disease severity but inconsistent statistical evidence across analyses. The limited explained variance and absence of significant differences between severity categories do not support MPV as a standalone severity marker. Larger longitudinal studies are warranted.
ER -