Chronic Effect of Smoking on Platelet Count and “Platelet Adhesiveness” in Presumably Healthy Middle-Aged Men

Jan Erikssen; Arvid Hellem; Helge Stormorken

doi:10.1055/s-0038-1651875

Thrombosis and Haemostasis, Table of Contents

Thromb Haemost 1977; 38(03): 0606-0611
DOI: 10.1055/s-0038-1651875

Original Article

Schattauer GmbH

Chronic Effect of Smoking on Platelet Count and “Platelet Adhesiveness” in Presumably Healthy Middle-Aged Men

Jan Erikssen

¹Medical Department B and Institute for Thrombosis Research, Rikshospitalet, Oslo 1, Norway

,

Arvid Hellem

¹Medical Department B and Institute for Thrombosis Research, Rikshospitalet, Oslo 1, Norway

,

Helge Stormorken

¹Medical Department B and Institute for Thrombosis Research, Rikshospitalet, Oslo 1, Norway

› Author Affiliations

Abstract

Summary

In 386 men aged 40–49 years the number of platelets was related to differences in smoking habits. “Platelet adhesiveness” (retention) was estimated by a glass bead filter method in 376 of these men. The estimation of “adhesiveness” was performed in native blood without anticoagulants at least 12 hr after the last cigarette smoked. A small but statistically highly significant increase in platelet count, in number of “adhesive platelets” and percentage of “adhesive platelets” was found in smokers as compared with non-smokers, the highest values being found in the heaviest smokers and vice versa. Such smoking-related changes in platelet count and reactiveness might unfavourably influence the tendency towards coronary thrombosis, and might in part explain the deleterious effects of smoking on coronary heart disease morbidity and mortality.

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References

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