Thrombocytopenia Symptoms

There are many cells that make up the blood. One of these many types of blood cells are platelets. Platelets are called 'thrombocytes' in the medical jargon. The term is derived from the Greek work 'Thrombos' that means to clot. The word 'penia' in the term thrombocytopenia means reduction in Latin. Thus, low blood platelets is called thrombocytopenia. This is a serious condition as it affects the ability of the blood to clot. Under normal conditions, platelets are destroyed within the body in about 10 days. At this rate, everyday 10% of the total platelet count is lost. The bone marrow produces more platelets everyday to make up for this loss. However, when due to an illness like cancer, the bone marrow fails to produce the required amount of platelets leading to drastic reduction in their count. In the following paragraphs we shall read about the thrombocytopenia symptoms and understand this condition in detail.

What is Thrombocytopenia?
Thrombocytopenia is low blood platelet count. The platelets are blood cells that help in blood clotting. They help prevent blood loss due to bleeding by clumping and forming plug like structures in areas of bleeding. The classic definition of thrombocytopenia is a platelet count of less than 150,000/μL. It occurs due to the presence of a disorder like leukemia, immune system disorder, or medical side effect. Let us now read about thrombocytopenia causes, symptoms and treatment.

Causes of Thrombocytopenia Symptoms
There are many causes of thrombocytopenia symptoms. These may include three major causes that lead to low platelet count. Let us have a look at the various causes of thrombocytopenia.

Increase in Breakdown of Platelets

• Increase in intravascular (in the bloodstream) breakdown of platelets
• Increase in extravascular (in spleen or liver) breakdown of platelets
• Reduction in the production of platelets by the bone marrow

Diseases Leading to Reduction in Platelets

• Bone marrow cancer
• Cirrhosis of liver
• Aplastic anemia
• Folate deficiency
• Vitamin B12 deficiency
• In rare cases, infection of the bone marrow

Conditions that Lead to Low Platelets

• Pregnancy leading to gestational thrombocytopenia
• Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura where the body's immune system attacks the platelets and destroys them
• Lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and other autoimmune diseases
• Bacteremia that leads to destruction of platelets
• Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) a rare disease where small blood clots appear throughout the body
• Hemolytic uremic syndrome, another rare disease that causes destruction of red blood cells, reduction of platelets and disruption in kidney function
• Chemotherapy as well as drug induced thrombocytopenia like heparin induced thrombocytopenia

Symptoms of Thrombocytopenia
Now let us have a look at some of the thrombocytopenia symptoms. In case the condition is mild, there may be no symptoms of thrombocytopenia observed. However, some of the common thrombocytopenia signs and symptoms include:

• Excessive bruising or unexplained bruising
• Petechiae (superficial bleeding in skin)
• Severe bleeding that does not stop immediately
• Abnormal or heavy menstruation flow
• Purpura in forearms
• Nosebleeds and bleeding gums

Gestational Thrombocytopenia Symptoms
Gestational thrombocytopenia symptoms are seen when there is about 75% low platelet count in pregnant women. There are usually no symptoms of thrombocytopenia in pregnancy and does not have any risk factor involved for both mother and fetus. Most of the women have no history of autoimmune thrombocytopenia. These women give birth to children with normal platelet count or in some cases with mild thrombocytopenia. The condition is mostly asymptomatic. However, some of the symptoms of thrombocytopenia in pregnancy include easy bruising, petechiae, epitaxis, and bleeding gum.

Thrombocytopenia Symptoms in Children
Thrombocytopenia symptoms in children may be mild and severe. Most of the thrombocytopenia symptoms in children include frequent nosebleeds, bruising for no reason, petechiae, heavy bleeding due to minor cuts, blood in urine and stools. In some cases, children may show no symptoms of thrombocytopenia.

Heparin Induced Thrombocytopenia Symptoms
Heparin induced thrombocytopenia is a condition that occurs after the patient receives heparin. It is a medication that helps in treating blood clotting disorders. There are two types of heparin induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) symptoms; HIT type 1 and HIT type 2. The type 1 symptoms are mild and mostly asymptomatic. The HIT type 2 is a serious blood disorder that leads to many health complications. The type 2 heparin induced thrombocytopenia symptoms include:

• Chest pain
• Breathing trouble
• Skin bruises
• Weakness and numbness
• Fever
• Headache
• Leg pain and swelling on arms and legs
• Slurred speech
• Vision problems
• Nosebleeds, gum bleeds
• Rapid heart rate

Thrombocytopenia Symptoms Treatment
Mild symptoms of thrombocytopenia do not need any kind of treatment. The condition tends to be resolved on its own. However, severe thrombocytopenia symptoms need treatment. This includes identifying and treating the underlying cause of low platelets, blood transfusion and medications that suppress the immune system in case of autoimmune diseases.

If you have any further doubts or queries about thrombocytopenia symptoms, speak to your health care provider. It is important to diagnose the underlying condition as it may be as serious as cancer or an autoimmune disease.