Platelet Granule Disorders and Impact-R
Monday, December 12th, 2011Impact-R may be used in platelet function studies of patients with Storage Pool Disease.
Platelet Storage Pool Disease(SPD) involves disorders with reduction in the number and contents of platelet granules. These may be a-granules, d-granules, or a combination of both. The most common of which is d-SPD, and the rarest is ad-SPD. The Gray Platelet Syndrome is an a-SPD where there is severe reduction of the number and contents of a-granules. The defect can be
of two modalities, one wherein the SPD is restricted to the platelets and another where it is part of systemic syndromes with defective assembly and packaging of granules. An example would be Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome where the patient has oculocutaneous albinism, bleeding disorders, and cellular storage disorders.
SPD is an autosomal recessive trait but can also be an acquired disorder. It may be seen in patients with myeloproliferative disorders, myelodysplasia, acute leukemia, and even systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Treatment is supportive, and may involve platelet transfusions.
IMPACT-R is a cone and plate analyzer that can be used for the study of platelet function, either hyper- or hypo-function. It is an important screening tool for platelet abnormalities and may be used as a monitoring tool for therapeutic response in patients being treated.