Abstract
Background: Hypertension is a multifactorial disease and pre-hypertension increases the risk of ischemic diseases. Alteration in the autonomic nervous system led to the development of prehypertension. Evaluating the heart rate variability is the effective tool to determine autonomic dysfunction in pre-hypertensive and hypertensive individuals.

Aims and Objectives: The aim of the study was o determine the association between autonomic function and mean platelet volume (MPV) in pre-hypertensive and hypertensive individuals.

Materials and Methods: A total of 120 participants of pre-hypertensive (n = 40, Group A), hypertensive (n = 40, Group B), and healthy control subjects (n = 40, Group C) between age group 31–50 years were recruited. All the study participants were subjected to blood pressure measurement either by palpatory or auscultatory method, variability of heart rate, and MPV.

Results: The MPV was 9.76, 7.98, and 6.40 in Group A, B, and C, respectively, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). The mean levels of RMSSD, SDNN, mean RR, NN50, and pNN50 were comparatively low in hypertensive group and high in pre-hypertensive participants and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). The mean levels of LF nu, HF nu, and LF/HF was statistically significant among study groups (P < 0.05). There was a negative correlation between heart rate variables (HRV) and MPV in hypertensive group except between MPV and LFnu.

Conclusion: The MPV was significantly high in hypertensive and pre-hypertensive participants that denote the risk of evolving cardiovascular diseases and cerebrovascular diseases. Timely assessment of HRV and adding this in a routine screening tool to predict the risk of hypertension at early stage.

Key words: Hypertension; Prehypertension; Heart Rate Variables; Mean Platelet Volume; Correlation