Could Mean Platelet Volume Be Used as A Marker for Oral Aphthae and Activity of Behçet's Disease?

Objective: Behcet's disease is a common inflammatory disease in our country. We aimed to determine whether mean platelet volume can be used as a marker for oral aphthae and the activity of Behcet's disease. Methods: Between 04/01/2010 and 30/07/2010, 78 patients from the Okmeydani Training and Research Hospital Dermatology Clinic were retrospectively enrolled in this study, of which 15 patients had active Behcet's disease and 37 had inactive Behcet's disease that were diagnosed according to the International Criteria for Behcet's Disease; 26 control patients without any inflammatory disease were also evaluated. Mean platelet volume and laboratory indicators of inflammation were compared between the patients and control groups. Results: There were no significant differences in the mean platelet volume values between the active Behcet's disease group, inactive Behcet's disease group, and control group (p=0.678). Furthermore, there were no significant differences in the mean platelet volume values between patients with oral aphthae, patients without oral aphthae, and control patients (p=0.637). Conclusion: Our results demonstrate that mean platelet volume values cannot be used as a marker for oral aphthae and activity of Behcet's disease. However, im- munosuppressive agents, such as colchicine and corticosteroids that are used in treating Behcet's disease, could affect the mean platelet volume values in active or inactive Behcet's disease by suppressing the inflammatory process. Therefore, we believe that the evaluation of the mean platelet volume values in large-scale studies that include patients with newly diagnosed Behcet's disease, which have not been treated, would be useful. Abstract