Interpreting MPV Blood Test – What’s Normal Mean Platelet Volume?

MPV or Mean Platelet Volume blood test is a part of a regular Complete Blood Count (CBC), a panel of tests that examine different components of the blood. MPV blood test uses a machine to measure and calculate the average size (by volume) of the platelets. MPV is usually interpreted with platelet count, or the number of platelets in a given volume of blood. There is a normal range for the values of mean platelet volume as well as platelet count. Any increase or decrease to the numerical values may indicate underlying health conditions. So what is a normal mean platelet volume?

Normal Mean Platelet Volume

The normal range for MPV is 7.5 to 11.5 femtolitre (1 femtolitre is equal to 1 cubic micrometer). Anything below 7 or over 12 may indicate that there is something wrong with your platelets especially if your platelet count is also not within the normal range of 150,000 to 450,000 platelets per microliter (X10^6/L) of adult blood. New platelets produced by the bone marrow are usually larger than older ones.

A very low MPV and platelet count can be an early indication of leukemia, a bone marrow cancer that affects the production of red blood cells and blood platelets. Shortage of platelets can cause you a bleeding problem whenever you have damage to your epithelial tissues, structural proteins that line your blood vessels, organs, and skin.

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Blood platelets circulate around our body to fix damages to our blood vessels (arteries and veins). For example, if we have a cut in a portion of our skin, platelets work by creating a clot to the damaged epithelial tissue to prevent the further escape of blood. Without normal platelets around, we could bleed to death. Indeed, platelets are important component of our blood; therefore, knowing the status of their health is a necessity.

The best person who could interpret the result of your mean platelet volume (MPV) and the other results in your complete blood count (CBC) is your doctor. Doctors are trained to interpret laboratory test results. Don’t try to interpret the results yourself because blood work often has false positive and negatives based on different factors. So when you see your MPV is too low or too high, don’t overreact without asking your doctor first.

Disclaimer

The content of this article is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult your doctor before taking any action suggested in this article.[ad#afterpost]

Reference

Complete Blood Count from Laboratory Tests Online by the American Association for Clinical Chemistry