Hypertriglyceridemia is associated with platelet hyperactivation in metabolic syndrome patients.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD), in which platelet hyperactivation plays a pivotal role. The purpose of this study was to evaluate platelet function in MetS patients using Platelet Function Analyzer-100 (PFA-100) and to explore the risk factors for platelet hyperactivity in MetS. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: We investigated participants who were enrolled for health check-up in our department. Routine physical examinations and fasting blood sample tests were performed when participants visited the hospital. MetS was defined as >/=3 of the risk factors according to the Harmonized criteria: central obesity, hypertension (HP), hypertriglyceridemia, low high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and hyperglycemia. Participants were divided into a MetS group (>/=3), normal control (NC) group (0) and non-MetS group (1-2) according to the numbers of the five risk factors. Platelet function was tested by PFA-100, which measures the time taken for blood to occlude an aperture (closure time [CT]). All continuous data were compared using Student's t-test or Mann-Whitney U test according to the data distribution. Categorical data was compared using the Chi-square test. Logistic regression was used to investigate the independent risk marker for PFA-100 CT values. RESULTS: A total of 831 participants (611 males and 220 females) was included in our subject. The MetS group had significantly shorter CT values compared with the NC group (106(52-181)s vs 111(70-210)s, P<0.05) and the non-MetS Group (106(52-181)s vs 113(73-197)s, P <0.05). Higher Body Mass Index (BMI), hypertriglyceridemia and HP were correlated with shorter CT values (P<0.05). Logistic regression analyses indicated that hypertriglyceridemia was an independent risk marker for shorter PFA-100 CT values (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Our results indicate the presence of platelet hyperactivation in MetS patients and that hypertriglyceridemia is an independent risk marker for it. Triglyceride-lowering treatment may reduce CVD risk in MetS individuals.