Thrombasthenia and Thrombocytopenic Purpura

Abstract

RECENT advances in the knowledge of blood coagulation clarify understanding of the hemostatic defect underlying various hemorrhagic disorders. The pathogenesis of hemorrhagic disease is usually attributable to disturbed retractility of the small blood vessels, as in vascular and allergic purpura; thrombocytopenia; deficiency of antihemophilic "globulin" — hemophilia§; insufficiency of prothrombin or its accessory factors — for example, hypoprothrombinemia, parahemophilia,² deficiency of prothrombin A³ and accelerator globulin deficiency⁴; fibrinopenia; and presence of circulating anticoagulants — heparin⁵ or heparin-like substances.⁶ There are, however, clinical conditions in which the nature of the hemostatic dysfunction is obscure, such as those designated as . . .