MPV is otherwise known as the "Mean Platelet Volume". Of course, you may be wondering why this particular count has any importance to your daily health, and the answer is quite simple.
Blood Cells by Andrew Mason http://www.flickr.com/photos/a_mason/Now, let's quickly go over what platelets do in your body and how they can impact your well-being. Platelets are an integral part of your body's defense system and body repair system. Platelets circle around the bloodstream, and aggregate and clump whenever there is a problem in your epithelial tissues. Because the epithelial tissues line your vital organs and also function in your skin, platelets are essential whenever your body encounters damage in these tissues.
Therefore, every time you have a routine blood exam, a doctor takes your platelet count. The number of platelets in your blood can quickly determine whether or not you have a serious issue. Patients who have bone marrow cancers (typically leukemia) will exhibit extremely low platelet counts as a problem with the formation of the platelets in their bone marrow. However, that is not the point of the mean platelet volume - its purpose is similar, but the actual test is somewhat different.
MPV Test Results
MPV is a count of how large your platelets actually are. The purpose of measuring the size of the platelets is also to determine whether or not there is an issue with the platelet production in the bone marrow. The MPV is an accurate test that can easily help doctors determine what's wrong with your platelets. If your MPV shows up too low, it may be an early indicator of bone marrow cancers like leukemia. Before interpreting blood tests yourself please discuss your results with your physician before jumping to conclusions — as usual, doctor knows best.
By measuring your MPV along with your platelet counts, your doctor will better be able to tell you exactly what's wrong with you if there is anything wrong at all. Furthermore, low platelet counts can accompany a series of diseases which can be life threatening. Accompanying thrombocytopenia (otherwise known as a low platelet count) could cause severe bleeding with something as simple as a little cut. If you are a patient with a low platelet count (or know somebody who is), make sure to take proper precautions against cutting or injury of any kind.
