Mepacrine-labeled platelet dense-body number in patients with chronic uremia.

Dense bodies are platelet organelles that store adenosine diphosphate. We have estimated the number of platelet dense bodies in patients with chronic uremia treated conservatively, by peritoneal dialysis and by hemodialysis. All groups of patients and control subjects were found to have similar mean numbers of platelet dense granules. Analysis of platelet distribution according to number of dense bodies has shown that patients undergoing hemodialysis have a decreased percent of platelets with a greater number of granules.