Method of treating diseases arising from platelet hyperactivation

A method of treating arterial thrombosis comprising administering to a person having same an amount of nifedipine effective to relieve the symptoms of arterial thrombosis and to restore substantially normal circulation in the involved blood vessel or vessels.

A method of treating immune thrombocytopenia comprising administering to a person having same an amount of nifedipine effective to relieve the symptoms of immune thrombocytopenia and to restore substantially normal circulation in the involved blood vessel or vessels.

A method of treating vasulitis comprising administering to a person having same an amount of nifedipine effective to relieve the symptoms of vasculitis and to restore substantially normal circulation in the involved blood vessel or vessels.

A method of treating myelofibrosis comprising administering to a person having same an amount of nifedipine effective to relieve the symptoms of myelofibrosis and to restore substantially normal circulation in the involved blood vessel or vessels.

A method of treating a patient believed to have a thromboembolic disease who has increased Ca.sup.2+ levels in the patient's blood platelets, comprising the steps of:

• (1) determining if the internal Ca.sup.2+ levels in the patient's blood platelets are elevated by contacting a sample of the patient's platelets with chlorotetracycline, a detectable fluorescent probe, measuring the resulting fluorescence, comparing the value measured with the predetermined fluoresence assessed in a normal platelet, and, when the measured fluoresence is less than the predetermined fluoresence;
• and then
• (2) administering to the patient an amount of nifedipine effective to reduce the internal Ca.sup.2+ levels in the platelets and thereby restore the platelet aggregation characteristics.