[Morphometric characteristics of thrombocytes in renal amyloidosis]

Forty-three patients with primary, secondary and hereditary amyloidosis at different stages of renal lesions (proteinuric, nephrotic, chronic renal failure) were examined for the count and size of peripheral blood platelets. All the patients manifested a diminution of the mean diameter of platelets caused by predominance in the circulation of their minor forms. In half of the cases these alterations combined with thrombocytosis. A direct non-linear relationship was revealed between the size of platelets and their count in patients with primary and secondary amyloidosis. The possibility of primordial functional deficiency of platelets in patients with amyloidosis is discussed.