Evaluation of Platelet Parameters in Patients With Secondary Failure of Platelet Recovery and Cytomegalovirus Infection After Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical significance of changes in platelet parameters in patients with secondary failure of platelet recovery (SFPR) and cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). METHODS: In this retrospective study, 79 patients who had undergone allogeneic HSCT (allo-HSCT), including 40 patients with SFPR and 39 patients without SFPR, were recruited. The evaluated parameters were platelet count (PLT), plateletcrit (PCT), platelet-large cell ratio (P-LCR), mean platelet volume (MPV), platelet distribution width (PDW), the incidence of CMV infection after allo-HSCT, and the correlation of SFPR and CMV infection in patients who had undergone allo-HSCT. The control group included 107 healthy donors. RESULTS: The SFPR group had significantly lower megakaryocyte counts, PLT, and PCT and significantly higher P-LCR, MPV, and PDW than the healthy donor and non-SFPR groups. The incidence of CMV infection was higher in SFPR patients than in non-SFPR patients. Among the patients with SFPR, P-LCR, MPV, and PDW were lower in those with CMV DNA >8000 copies/mL than in those with CMV DNA <8000 copies/mL (P < .05 for all); the CMV viral load was slightly negatively correlated with MPV (P = .0297) and P-LCR (P = .0280). CONCLUSION: We demonstrate for the first time that the level of platelet activation in SFPR patients, which was closely related to CMV infection, was higher than that in that in non-SFPR patients, and higher CMV load was associated with the inhibition of platelet activation.