The application of lymphocyte*platelet and mean platelet volume/platelet ratio in influenza A infection in children

Abstract

Background: To explore the characteristics and regularity of complete blood count (CBC) changes among influenza A–positive child patients and to discover parameters that can help with the diagnosis and differential diagnosis. Methods: One hundred and ninety-one influenza A–positive children, two hundred and nineteen influenza A–negative children with influenza-like symptoms, and two hundred and forty-seven healthy children were included in this study. They were divided into three groups: influenza A–positive patient group, influenza A–negative patient group, and control group. Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction testing and Sysmex XS-800i hematology analyzer were used to obtain influenza A and CBC results, respectively. CBC along with parameters including lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), mean platelet volume/platelet ratio (MPV/PLT), and lymphocyte*platelet (LYM*PLT) was calculated and recorded for each child. The differences in these parameters among different groups were tested with SPSS 15.0. The diagnostic values were also evaluated. Results: The LYM and PLT of child patients with influenza A were significantly lower than those of both influenza A–negative patients with influenza-like symptoms and healthy controls. Among all the parameters, LYM*PLT has the largest area under the curve and the highest diagnostic value, followed by MPV/PLT. Compared with using LMR or MPV/PLT, the diagnostic value of using LYM alone was, on the contrary, higher. Conclusions: Low LYM*PLT and high MPV/PLT may indicate influenza A infection in children with influenza-like symptoms, which can be a useful indicator for diagnosis and differentiation of influenza A infection.