Platelet Disorders

Also called: Thrombocyte disorders

Platelets are little pieces of blood cells. Platelets help wounds heal and prevent bleeding by forming blood clots. Your bone marrow makes platelets. Problems can result from having too few or too many platelets, or from platelets that do not work properly.

If your blood has a low number of platelets, it is called thrombocytopenia. This can put you at risk for mild to serious bleeding. If your blood has too many platelets, you may have a higher risk of blood clots. With other platelet disorders, the platelets do not work as they should. For example, in von Willebrand Disease, the platelets cannot stick together or cannot attach to blood vessel walls. This can cause excessive bleeding.

Treatment of platelet disorders depends on the cause.

NIH: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

Symptoms of Platelet Disorders

The following features are indicative of Platelet Disorders:

easy or excessive bruising
bleeding
oozing from the mouth or nose
abnormal vaginal bleeding
prolonged bleeding from cuts
blood in urine or stools
unusually heavy menstrual flows
fatigue
enlarged spleen
jaundice
headache

It is possible that Platelet Disorders shows no physical symptoms and still is present in a patient.

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Common Causes of Platelet Disorders

The following are the most common causes of Platelet Disorders:

decreased production of platelets
trapped platelets
increased breakdown of platelets

Risk Factors for Platelet Disorders

The following factors may increase the likelihood of Platelet Disorders:

exposure to certain toxic chemicals
people with certain types of cancer
heavy alcohol drinkers
pregnant women

Prevention of Platelet Disorders

Yes, it may be possible to prevent Platelet Disorders. Prevention may be possible by doing the following:

avoid heavy drinking alcohol
avoid exposure with toxic chemicals
do not take the medicines that decrease your platelet count in the past

Occurrence of Platelet Disorders

Number of Cases

The following are the number of Platelet Disorders cases seen each year worldwide:

Common between 1 - 10 Million cases

Common Age Group

Platelet Disorders can occur at any age.

Common Gender

Platelet Disorders can occur in any gender.

Lab Tests and Procedures for Diagnosis of Platelet Disorders

The following lab tests and procedures are used to detect Platelet Disorders:

Blood test: To determine the number of blood cells and diagnose thrombocytopenia
Physical exam: To view the signs of bleeding and detect the thrombocytopenia

Doctor for Diagnosis of Platelet Disorders

Patients should visit the following specialists if they have symptoms of Platelet Disorders:

Hematologist
Primary care doctor

Complications of Platelet Disorders if untreated

Yes, Platelet Disorders causes complications if it is not treated. Below is the list of complications and problems that may arise if Platelet Disorders is left untreated:

can be fatal
bleeding into the brain

Procedures for Treatment of Platelet Disorders

The following procedures are used to treat Platelet Disorders:

Blood or platelet transfusions: Replaces the lost blood with transfusions of packed red blood cells or platelets
Surgery: To remove your spleen
Plasma exchange: To treat the thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura

Self-care for Platelet Disorders

The following self-care actions or lifestyle changes may help in the treatment or management of Platelet Disorders:

Avoid activities that could cause injury: Lowers the risk of injury helps in preventing thrombocytopenia
Avoid drinking alcohol: Drink alcohol in moderation to maintain the production of platelets in your body
Use caution with over-the-counter medications: Prevents the impairing of platelet function

Patient Support for Treatment of Platelet Disorders

The following actions may help Platelet Disorders patients:

Join supporting research groups: Provides medical knowledge and care about the disease

Time for Treatment of Platelet Disorders

While time-period of treatment for each patient may vary, below is the typical time-period for Platelet Disorders to resolve if treated properly under an expert supervision:

In 1 - 4 weeks

Last updated date

This page was last updated on 2/04/2019.

This page provides information for Platelet Disorders.