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Thrombocytopenia
Thrombocytopenia is a general term for blood disorders that cause low levels of platelets in the blood. A platelet is a type of blood cell that helps the blood clot. These cells clump together at the site of a blood vessel injury in order to prevent blood loss.
Therefore, thrombocytopenia is often associated with abnormal bleeding.Healthy individuals have anywhere from 150,000 to 450,000 platelets per microliter of circulating blood in the body. The bone marrow continually produces new platelets because they only live about 10 days. Thrombocytopenia occurs when the platelet count falls below 20,000 per microliter of blood. The risk of bleeding increases as the number of platelets decreases. When there are less than 10,000 platelets per microliter of circulating blood, the condition is considered severe, and internal bleeding may occur.
Thrombocytopenia can occur by itself, or it can develop as a complication of another disease, such as cancer or a viral infection. Drug-induced thrombocytopenia may occur in response to medication (such as heparin). In some cases, thrombocytopenia is a chronic (long-lasting) condition that persists for years. However, it may develop suddenly and dramatically in some individuals.
Thrombocytopenia usually improves after treating the underlying cause. In some cases, medications or surgery can help treat chronic thrombocytopenia. If bleeding is severe, some patients may require a blood transfusion.
Related Terms
Anticoagulant, blood cells, blood clot, blood disorder, blood transfusion, bone marrow, coagulation, coagulation abnormality, DIC, drug-induced immune thrombocytopenia, drug-induced non-immune thrombocytopenia, drug induced thrombocytopenia, enlarged spleen, HAT, hemolysis, hemorrhage, heparin, heparin-induced, heparin-induced immune-mediated thrombocytopenia, HIT, hypersplenism, immune thrombocytopenic purpura, internal bleeding, ITP, Intracranial hemorrhage, plasma, plasmapheresis, platelets, spleen, purpura, thrombosis, red blood cells, spleen, stroke, TTP.
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