Glanzmann thrombasthenia in children from Argentina.
OBJECTIVE
Glanzmann thrombasthenia is a well-defined inherited disorder of platelet function characterized by a decrease or absence of functional platelet glycoprotein (GP) GPIIbIIIa. The diagnosis must be considered in patients presenting with mucocutaneous bleeding, purpura, a normal platelet count, abnormal platelet aggregation, and a prolonged bleeding time. In most of the patients, the presence of small amounts of either GPIIb or GPIIIa was detected in their platelets. These observations could provide a basis for determining the clinical and laboratory heterogeneity of the disease.


METHODS
We studied 10 patients of seven unrelated families with the usual methods and an immunoalkaline phosphatase technique (APAAP) to analyze the biosynthesis of GP in megakaryocytes.


RESULTS
The results allowed us to classify six patients as GT type I, three as type II, and one as a variant.


CONCLUSIONS
The nature and severity of the bleeding manifestations, in our patients, were not predictible by the laboratory findings. These confirm the clinical and laboratory heterogeneity of the disease.
Sassetti
B
B
Departamento de Química Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Lajmanovich
A
A
Vázquez
A
A
Vizcarguénaga
M I
MI
Berthier
R
R
Aversa
L
L
Bustelo
P
P
Kordich
L
L
D000293:Adolescent; D001118:Argentina; D015139:Blotting, Southern; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008533:Megakaryocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D019039:Platelet Glycoprotein GPIIb-IIIa Complex / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D013915:Thrombasthenia / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
D019039:Platelet Glycoprotein GPIIb-IIIa Complex