USE OF ANTIMALARIAL DRUGS AS "DESLUDGING" AGENTS IN VASCULAR DISEASE PROCESSES

In the treatment of obstructive vascular diseases the use of drugs that inhibit sludging of erythrocytes is as logical as the use of anticoagulants. The antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine sulfate is known to reduce the frequency of thrombotic and embolic phenomena in animals by a marked desludging action; it was administered to 44 human subjects in whom sludging had been noted in the bulbar conjunctiva. All had vascular diseases, and 22 had had previous myocardial infarctions. The initial dosa