PLATELETS IN MYELOPROLIFERATIVE DISORDERS .1. A COMPARATIVE-EVALUATION WITH CERTAIN PLATELET-FUNCTION TESTS

  • 1 January 1980
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 25  (3) , 214-220
Abstract
Certain platelet functions were evaluated in 24 patients with secondary polycythemia (SP) and in a large number of patients suffering from myeloproliferative disorders (MD): 89 patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) at different stages of development, 58 with polycythemia vera (PV), 23 with essential thrombocythemia (ET) and 25 with agnogenic myeloid metaplasia (AMM). Bleeding time, epinephrine-induced platelet aggregation and adhesiveness agree with those generally reported in the literature; they are independent of thrombocytosis, the Hb level and the leukocyte count. Macrothrombocytosis, evaluated by an electronic method, was found only in CML, mainly during acute blast crisis. An increased percentage of light platelets was a constant feature in all groups except in the SP and in 20% of the PV. The most severe abnormalities were observed in AMM and CML in the acute stage; in the chronic phase of CML there is not correlation between the severity of platelet abnormalities and the survival of the patients.