Abstract 1.1. A group of 39 patients with various myeloproliferative disorders, including chronic myelocytic and lymphocytic leukemia, were studied with a battery of clotting tests. 2.2. Of 18 patients with a history of bleeding, 17 had one or more abnormal clotting tests, including poor thromboplastin generation in 16. Four had excessive platelets and 14 were thrombocytopenic. 3.3. Among the 21 patients with no bleeding, there were 10 with thrombocytopenia and 3 with increased numbers of platelets. 4.4. Evidence was presented in agreement with previous impressions that there is no constant relationship between the platelet count and the occurrence of bleeding. Within limits, the functional hemostatic activity of platelets appears to be more important than merely the absolute number.
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