Crafa Andrea, Condorelli Rosita A, Mongioì Laura M, Cannarella Rossella, Barbagallo Federica, Aversa Antonio, Izzo Giulia, Perri Anna, Calogero Aldo E, La Vignera Sandro
Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Catania, via S. Sofia 78, 95123 Catania, Italy.
Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Magna Græcia University, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy.
J Clin Med. 2020 Aug 4;9(8):2513. doi: 10.3390/jcm9082513.
Cardiovascular diseases are the main cause of mortality in the Western population, so the attempt to find a marker capable of predicting their early onset is not surprising. It is known that arteriogenic erectile dysfunction (ED) precedes the onset of a major coronary event by several years. However, a marker that is able to early identify those patients who should undergo further diagnostic investigations is, to date, missing. Recent research on this topic has focused on the role of the mean platelet volume (MPV), a marker of platelet activity that is high in most vascular diseases, such as coronary artery disease (CAD), stroke, peripheral artery disease (PAD), and ED. The basic pathophysiological mechanism of all these clinical conditions is atherosclerosis. Platelets play a central role in amplifying this process both indirectly by stimulating endothelial cells to produce inflammatory cytokines and chemokines, and directly through the expression of membrane receptors and the release of molecules that contribute to the formation of atherosclerotic plaque. The objective of this review is to critically analyze the evidence on the role of MPV in predicting the diagnosis and severity of vasculogenic ED and the possibility of using this simple marker as a first step to start a diagnostic process aimed at assessing the cardiovascular risk in these patients.
心血管疾病是西方人群死亡的主要原因，因此试图寻找一种能够预测其早期发病的标志物也就不足为奇了。众所周知，动脉源性勃起功能障碍（ED）比重大冠状动脉事件的发病早数年。然而，迄今为止，仍缺少一种能够早期识别那些应接受进一步诊断检查患者的标志物。近期关于该主题的研究聚焦于平均血小板体积（MPV）的作用，MPV是血小板活性的一个标志物，在大多数血管疾病中升高，如冠状动脉疾病（CAD）、中风、外周动脉疾病（PAD）和ED。所有这些临床病症的基本病理生理机制是动脉粥样硬化。血小板在放大这一过程中发挥核心作用，既通过刺激内皮细胞产生炎性细胞因子和趋化因子间接发挥作用，也通过膜受体的表达以及有助于动脉粥样硬化斑块形成的分子释放直接发挥作用。本综述的目的是批判性地分析关于MPV在预测血管源性ED的诊断和严重程度方面作用的证据，以及使用这一简单标志物作为启动旨在评估这些患者心血管风险的诊断过程第一步的可能性。
