Correlation between Mean Platelet Volume, Body Mass Index, and Waist-Hip Ratio in Young Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.68819/Keywords:
Mean Platelet Volume, Waist-Hip Ratio, Body Mass Index, Obesity, Abdominal, Intra-Abdominal Fat, Blood Platelets, Young AdultAbstract
Introduction: Central adiposity promotes inflammation that may increase the production of larger, more reactive platelets. This study aimed to assess whether mean platelet volume (MPV) correlates more closely with waist-hip ratio (WHR) than with body mass index (BMI) in apparently healthy young adults.
Methods: This cross-sectional analytical study at a tertiary care teaching hospital in Tamil Nadu, India (October 2025 to March 2026), included 200 apparently healthy adults aged 18–25 years (100 males, 100 females). Anthropometry was standardized, and fasting K2EDTA samples were analyzed for MPV within 2 hours. Pearson correlations were compared using Steiger’s Z test, and MPV was compared across sex-specific WHR strata by independent-samples t test.
Results: Mean age was 20.4 ± 1.6 years, BMI 23.1 ± 4.2 kg/m², WHR 0.84 ± 0.08, and MPV 9.8 ± 1.1 fL. MPV correlated strongly with WHR (r = 0.68; 95% CI, 0.60–0.75; P < .001) and weakly with BMI (r = 0.18; 95% CI, 0.04–0.31; P = .011); the MPV–WHR correlation was significantly stronger (Steiger’s Z = 7.75; P < .001). MPV was 2.2 fL higher in males with WHR ≥0.95 (11.6 vs 9.4 fL) and in females with WHR ≥0.85 (11.4 vs 9.2 fL) (both P < .001). The highest MPV (12.0 fL) occurred in normal-weight participants with central adiposity.
Conclusion: In young adults, MPV is associated far more closely with central adiposity than with BMI. Assessing WHR together with routinely reported MPV may help identify young individuals with adverse fat distribution for early cardiometabolic risk assessment.
