Functional, biochemical, and structural anomalies in platelets of patients with idiopathic scoliosis

Idiopathic scoliosis (IS) is the most common type of lateral curvature of the spine, the etiology of which is unknown. Among the various pathological changes that have been reported in IS are platelet anomalies. Since the platelets are not involved mechanically in the spinal deformity, platelet disorders may reflect a basic cellular pathology and not a secondary change attributed to the spinal curvature. In the present review, a summary of the platelet anomalies in idiopathic scoliosis is presented. The accumulated data indicate the existence of profound functional anomalies in platelets of patients with IS. An attempt is made to clarify the different anomalies and to try to link them together.