Thrombocytopenia is a blood disorder characterized by an abnormal decrease in platelets, responsible for blood clotting. This gives rise to bleeding and other problems that must be treated by specialists.
Thrombocytopenia is any disorder in which there is an abnormal decrease in the number of platelets in the blood. Typically, there is a number between 140,000 to 440,000 platelets per microliter of blood. When the count falls below this range, it speaks of an abnormal condition.
Platelets are colorless cells; whose main function is to contribute to blood clotting. Thanks to them, plugs are formed that stop bleeding when there is an injury. If there is not a sufficient number, this function becomes faulty.
If you have less than 50,000 platelets per microliter of blood, hemorrhage is possible even in small lesions. When there are 20,000 or less, bleeding can occur even if there is no injury or bruise.
Causes of thrombocytopenia
Thrombocytopenia is usually accompanied by other health disorders, its main causes being the following:
- Insufficient production of platelets in the bone marrow.
- Increased breakdown of platelets in the blood.
- Increased breakdown of platelets in the liver or spleen.
In turn, each of these three conditions is the consequence of other diseases, or the side effect of some medications or substances. Then, the factors that affect the low production of platelets within the marrow are the following:
- Folate deficiency.
- Deficiency of vitamin B12.
- Some types of anemia.
- Spinal infections.
- Myelodysplastic syndrome.
- Viral infections such as hepatitis C or HIV.
Also, there are certain conditions that precipitate the breakdown of platelets. The most common are: inflammation of the spleen, immune thrombocytopenia, thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura, hemolytic uremic syndrome, bacteria in the blood or pregnancy.
Symptoms of thrombocytopenia
When thrombocytopenia is mild, it causes very few signs or symptoms. Therefore, it is only detectable by clinical examinations. One of the main symptoms is superficial bleeding on the skin. These look like small dotted eruptions that are reddish to purple in color. It should be noted that these bleeds do not reach more than the size of the head of a pin and generally appear in the lower part of the legs.
On the other hand, if thrombocytopenia is in a more advanced stage, at least one or more of the following symptoms are generally evident in the patient:
- If there is a cut injury, the bleeding is very prolonged.
- Bleeding residue in urine or feces.
- Abnormally heavy menstrual flow.
- Tendency to bruise.
- Bleeding in the gums or from the nose.
- Increase in the size of the spleen.
- Jaundice.
- Fatigue.
The speed of onset of symptoms varies, depending on the factor causing the thrombocytopenia. In some cases, they appear suddenly, while in others they have a gradual and progressive appearance.
Diagnosis of the disease
Typically, a doctor will order a blood test when thrombocytopenia is suspected. A complete blood count will determine the number of platelets in each microliter of blood. If the result indicates that there are less than 150,000, it is called thrombocytopenia.
The healthcare professional will also do a physical inspection. The goal is to find signs of bleeding under the epidermis. He will also perform a palpation of the abdomen to determine if there is an enlarged spleen.
Finally, a medical history scan will be done. It is aimed at establishing the type of diseases that the patient has suffered, the type of medications that he is using and some general aspects about his lifestyle.
Complications
The main complication of thrombocytopenia is the presence of profuse and uncontrollable bleeding. Only when the number of platelets is less than 10,000 do internal bleeding occur, which is also very dangerous.
Thrombocytopenia can lead to gastrointestinal bleeding. The presence of these is detected because there is vomit or feces that contain traces of blood. They are not, in any case, very frequent.
On a few occasions bleeding occurs in the brain, which is the most dangerous of all complications, as it can lead to death. When the cause of thrombocytopenia is the disease called “thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura”, small clots form internally. The effects of this are obviously deadly.