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Evidence against enhanced platelet activity in sickle cell anaemia
Author(s) -
Buchanan George R.,
Holtkamp Christine A.
Publication year - 1983
Publication title -
british journal of haematology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.907
H-Index - 186
eISSN - 1365-2141
pISSN - 0007-1048
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2141.1983.00573.x-i1
Subject(s) - platelet , medicine , radioimmunoassay , platelet activation , endocrinology , dense granule , cell , granule (geology) , chemistry , biology , biochemistry , paleontology
S ummary . Although numerous studies have provided indirect evidence for enhanced platelet activity in sickle cell anaemia, little attention has been directed to examination of platelet alpha and dense granule release in the sickling disorders. We simultaneously measured by radioimmunoassay plasma levels of the alpha granule constituents β‐thromboglobulin (β‐TG) and platelet factor 4 (PF 4 ) in 43 children with sickle cell anaemia in steady state and 24 patients during severe vaso‐occlusive crisis. β‐TG levels during steady state (50 ± 3.6 ng/ml, mean ± SEM) were greater ( P <0.001) than in normal controls (36 ± 1.6), but there was no additional significant rise during crisis (55 ± 5.9). PF 4 levels were similar ( P = 0.12) in both steady state (10 ± 1.2 ng/ml) and crisis (9.3 ± 2.3) to those of normal controls (6.0 ± 0.8). The similarity of β‐TG/PF 4 ratios in normal and sickle cell anaemia patients as well as the positive correlation ( P <0.05) between platelet count and β‐TG and PF 4 suggested that an artefactual in vitro platelet activation was responsible for some of the observed increased β‐TG and PF 4 levels. Further evidence against enhanced platelet activity in these sickle cell patients included normal intraplatelet content of the dense granule constituent 5‐HT and a normal ATP/ADP ratio. From this data we conclude that platelet activation in children with sickle cell anaemia appears minimal.