Lack of increase or reduction in circulating platelet factor 4 and heparin-releasable platelet factor 4 in symptomatic patients with asthma.
We measured circulating platelet factor 4 (PF4) and heparin-releasable platelet factor 4 (HR-PF4) in 13 symptomatic patients suffering from bronchial asthma and in 10 matched normal controls. Neither a difference between patients and controls, nor a correlation between platelet count and HR-PF4 was found (PF4: controls 2.1 +/- 2.9; patients 3.6 +/- 4.4 ng/ml (n.s.); HR-PF4: controls 127 +/- 49, patients 101 +/- 34 ng/ml (n.s.). Therefore, the pathogenetic role of PF4 in the mechanism of bronchial asthma, elsewhere hypothesized, cannot definitely be established.
Chair of Hematology, Padua University School of Medicine, Italy.
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Fabbri
D000328:Adult; D001249:Asthma / Q000097:blood*; D006493:Heparin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010978:Platelet Factor 4 / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism
D010978:Platelet Factor 4; D006493:Heparin