Platelet and Inflammatory Hematological Markers in Persons Who Attempt Suicide: A Hospital-based Case–Control Study
Mansoor Ahmad Dar, Bilal Ahmad Bhat, Shabir Ahmad Dar, Malik Insha QayoomAbstract
Background:
Suicide is a major public health concern with no reliable biological markers for its risk assessment. Hematological inflammatory markers (HIM), such as mean platelet volume (MPV) and neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR), being easily accessible and inexpensive, can prove useful for risk assessment.
Aim:
This study aims to evaluate HIM in individuals who attempted suicide and explore its association with depression severity and suicidal intent.
Materials and Methods:
This hospital-based case–control study included individuals aged 18–60 years with a recent suicide attempt, and age- and gender-matched healthy controls. Psychiatric assessment included the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, Text Revision diagnosis of depression, Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Beck Suicide Intent (BSI) Scale, and Presumptive Stressful Life Events Scale. The desired hematological parameters were taken from complete blood count reports. Group comparisons were performed using the Mann–Whitney
Results:
A total of 100 age- and gender-matched cases and controls in each group were included. Cases showed significantly higher MPV (
Conclusion:
Individuals who attempted suicide exhibited pronounced hematological inflammatory changes, suggesting underlying immune activation.