Platelet stickiness in multiple sclerosis.

Nathanson and Savitsky (1952) were the first to study platelet adhesiveness in patients suffering from multiple sclerosis (60 in all). Increased adhesiveness was found in the groups of patients with acute exacerbations or a fluctuating course: the average 'adhesive index' for the stationary group was within the normal range. More recently two preliminary communications were published on the same subject in the Lancet: Caspary, Prineas, Miller, and Field (1965) found increased platelet adhesiveness in 43 patients suffering from active multiple sclerosis. Wright, Thompson, and Zilkha (1965) also found platelet adhesiveness to be increased in 24 patients suffering from acute severe multiple sclerosis. However, 12 patients were receiving or had recently received corticotrophin therapy. Sharp (1965) found no increased adhesiveness when the disease was quiescent and the proportion of cases showing abnormal adhesiveness increased with the activity of the disease. stationary or in remission. Thirty-three apparently healthy persons, some of whom were medical students or nurses, comprised the control group.