[Characteristics of the aggregative function of thrombocytes in amyloidosis]

In continuity of prior investigations a study was made of platelet aggregation activity stimulated by arachidonic acid in patients with amyloidosis as compared to patients with chronic glomerulonephritis (CGN). Altogether 31 patients with amyloidosis (primary--2, secondary--15, hereditary in periodical disease--14) and 25 CGN patients (latent disease--10, nephrotic--15) were investigated. Considerable changes in platelet aggregation properties in amyloidosis were shown: the absence of aggregation in most of the patients (22) irrespective of a stage of disease and a tendency to prolongation of a latent period in patients in whom it was observed (9). These data were obtained for the first time. Either normal (in patients with latent type) or raised (in patients with nephrotic type) aggregation to a given stimulus was observed in CGN which was well in accord with the results obtained by other authors.