Platelet parameters may be predictors of coronary artery disease in prediabetes: Rural hospital-based cross-sectional study

Introduction: Prediabetes is a state of impaired glucose tolerance that often precedes overt diabetes mellitus and is frequently underdiagnosed. Glycation of platelet proteins leads to increased platelet reactivity which can be an essential predisposing event in the pathogenesis of coronary artery disease (CAD). Although research has been conducted to diagnose CAD in prediabetes and to assess platelet indices in prediabetes, there has been no attempt to assess platelet indices in prediabetic patients who have CAD. Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out in a rural tertiary care center in Central India from September 2019 to August 2021. A total of 180 patients were enrolled in this study, having documented CAD in coronary angiography (CAG) and blood glucose levels in the diagnostic range of prediabetes by the criteria set by the World Health Organization. Platelet indices, glycosylated hemoglobin, blood sugar levels, and CAG findings were documented for all participants. Results: The mean platelet volume (MPV) in our study population was 9.58 ± 1.14 fL, platelet distribution width (PDW) was 15.69% ± 1.36%, plateletcrit was 0.3% ± 0.07%, and platelet count was 319 ± 44 × 103 cells/mm3. PDW was the best tool to predict double-vessel disease (P < 0.0001), while MPV (P = 0.6146) and PDW (P = 0.0266) were best predictors of triple-vessel disease. Conclusion: Platelet indices that are readily available investigations prescribed by clinicians routinely are significantly associated with blood sugar levels and can predict the severity of CAD in prediabetics in terms of the number of vessels involved. Early assessment of platelet indices in prediabetics can aid in the diagnosis and prognosis of CAD, thereby helping in planning early intervention.