Abstract
Objective: The aim of the present study was to investigate differences in the mean platelet volume of patients with first attack psychosis, chronic schizophrenia and controls and to discern the potential value of MPV for cardiovascular disorders among patients with psychosis.
Materials and Methods: A total number of 32 patients with first episode psychosis, 44 patients with chronic schizophrenia and 43 randomly selected weight- and body mass index-matched healthy volunteers admitted to Psychiatry outpatient clinic were included. The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) was applied to the patients group. The body mass index (BMI) was calculated and MPV was measured for each subject.
Results: The mean MPV level was 9,38±1 fL in patients with first attack psychosis, 9,60±1,02 fL in patients with chronic schizophrenia and 9.2±0.94 fL in control group. MPV levels were no statistically significant difference between the three groups. There was no statistically significant differences between the three groups in terms of platelet count or BMI. There was no statistically significant correlation between MPV levels and total PANSS scores in the patients groups.
Conclusion: To our awareness, the present study was the first to evaluate the MPV levels in patients with first attack psychosis; moreover it is also first study to compare MPV levels of patients with first attack psychosis and chronic schizophrenia. We consider that it is not appropriate for MPV to be used as an indicator for cardiovascular diseases in patients with psychosis for now. Better-designed and more advanced studies are necessary to determine the exact function of platelets and the importance of MPV in patients with first attack psychosis and chronic schizophrenia.

Key words: Mean platelet volume, first attack psychosis, chronic schizophrenia