PB0913 - Evaluation of Platelet Activation as Hypercoagulability Marker in Patients with β Thalassaemia Intermedia

Background: High frequency of thromboembolism is related to the hypercoagulable state in β thalassemia intermedia (TI) patients. One of the underlying mechanisms contributing to this thrombophilic state is related to the hyper activated platelets in β-TI patients

Aims: This study aims to evaluate the platelet activation in β-TI patient to assess their hypercoagulable state.

Methods: Twenty β-TI patients were recruited as the study group and four healthy volunteers as control group. Flowcytometric evaluation of the expression of CD62P (P-selectin) and CD63 with and without adenosine diphosphate (ADP) on the platelets was performed. The intensity and the percentage of activated platelets were assessed.

Results: All β-TI patients showed positive platelet activation in CD62P with ADP and seventeen patients showed positive for CD62P without ADP. Interestingly, the β-TI patients showed higher percentage of platelet activation of CD62P without ADP as compared to normal control (8.58% vs 5.66%). For CD63, only two patients showed positive platelet activation with ADP; however, without ADP none of them showed positivity to CD63. The β-TI patients showed higher intensity of positivity of CD62P and CD63 compared to normal control as shown bright in β-TI compared to control group in flowcytometry. However, no statistical differences were noted between patients and normal control. The study also showed that the non-splenectomized patients have higher platelet activation than splenectomized patients.

Conclusion(s): This study supports the hypercoagulable state in β-TI patients. Further study need to be done using larger population group as well as utilizing other platelet activation markers are required to further ascertain these observations.