Association of platelet aggregation with lipid levels in the Japanese population: The suita study

Abstract

Aim: Platelets play a pivotal role in atherothrombotic diseases. Platelet aggregability induced by agonists has great interindividual variability; however, the factors influencing platelet aggregability variation have not been characterized in Asia. Methods: To examine the confounding factors influencing platelet counts and responsiveness to agonists, we measured the platelet counts and platelet aggregability induced by 1.7 μM adenosine diphosphate (ADP) or 1.7 μg/mL collagen using a light transmittance aggregometer in the Japanese general population without medication or cardiovascular disease (387 men and 550 women) in the Suita Study. Results: Platelet counts were negatively correlated with age in both men and women (Spearman's rank correlation coefficient: r s = -0.230 and -0.227; p<0.01, respectively). In women, platelet counts were correlated negatively with the high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol level and positively with the low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol/HDL cholesterol (L/H) ratio (r s = -0.135 and 0.119; p<0.01, respectively). In women, platelet aggregabilities by ADP and collagen were correlated with age (r s = 0.118 and 0.143; p<0.01, respectively), and collagen-induced platelet aggregability was correlated with the LDL cholesterol level, the L/H ratio, and the non-HDL cholesterol level (r s = 0.167, 0.172, and 0.185; p<0.01, respectively). Even after adjustment for age, systolic blood pressure, body mass index, and current smoking and drinking, the association of platelet counts with the L/H ratio in women and associations of collagen-induced platelet aggregability with the L/H ratio and the non-HDL cholesterol level remained. Conclusion: Examination of platelet counts and platelet aggregability induced by ADP and collagen revealed gender, age and lipid levels as factors influencing inter-individual variability.