Platelet functions in children with rheumatic activity

ABSTRACT

A battery of investigations including platelet count, bleeding time, platelet aggregation, platelet adhesiveness, clot retraction, saolin-cephalin on platelet poor and platelet rich plasmas, and platelet factor 3 availability were performed on 65 children, 40 cases out of them with rheumatic activity and without heart failure, 14 cases with activity and heart failure 11 cases with quiescent rheumatic heart. The same procedures were done on 12 healthy children of matched age and sex as controls. Changes of platelet aggregation, platelet adhesiveness, clot retraction, kaalin-cephalin time in platelet rich and platelet poor plasmas, and platelet factor 3 availability were found in the first two groups. And changes in clot retraction and platelet factor 3 availability were more in children with heart failure. In the quiescent cases all were normal except platelet adhesiveness which remained enhanced. The results were discussed and a conclusion of adding drugs that decrease the adhesiveness of platelets as Diphyridamol was raised up