November 14, 2018
All tests in 1 day
One type of laboratory diagnosis is a general blood test. It allows you to identify a large number of pathologies, such as malignant tumors, infectious, inflammatory diseases, etc. It can also be used to evaluate the effectiveness of patient treatment. After all, a general blood test can tell a lot about the state of the body.
Only specialized doctors can correctly decipher a general blood test. Therefore, without the appropriate medical knowledge, you should not even try to do it yourself. But it will not be superfluous to know by what indicators the blood is analyzed, as well as the norms of the test result. You will find this information in our article.
General information
Platelets are granulocytic blood cells without a biconvex nucleus, formed from plasma cells of the bone marrow. They are presented in different forms - young, adult and mature. The diameter is directly proportional to age: 2-4 microns. Platelets contain granules that create blood clotting proteins, lytic enzymes, phosphatase and cathepsin, create serotonin, calcium ions and ATP, and contain lysosomal enzymes.
One of the most important functions of blood platelets is participation in blood clotting (primary hemostasis).
Platelets bind clotting factors, making blood clots thicker. As a rule, in an inactive state, when the vessel wall is damaged, platelets are directed to the damaged area. Thanks to the pseudopods located on the surface of the body, they are attached to each other and the vascular wall, forming a blood clot, which is an excellent barrier to bleeding. In the active state, platelets are able to change the shape of the body, due to which they increase their area, and this allows them to completely close the damage.
In addition, platelets are able to protect the body from foreign bodies by catching them with the help of pseudopods, and then digesting them with the help of the enzyme lysocine, which is formed from platelet factors (thrombin, thromboxane), from platelet granules. Thus, platelets are important for the immune response, being “killer” cells for foreign agents entering the body.
Blood plates serve as a storage site for serotonin, providing antitumor and radioprotective effects.
Thus, a violation of the number of platelets leads to inhibition of their functions, this certainly leads to disruption of the body’s activity and entails negative symptoms.
Basic functions of platelets
In appearance, platelets are round or oval red plates with a smooth surface. They are formed in the bone marrow. They mature in approximately 8 days. These components constantly circulate in the bloodstream.
The main function of platelets is to ensure blood clotting. In addition, the ability of these blood components to stop bleeding is important. This is ensured by the fact that individual platelets can stick together and stick to sites of vascular damage. The process is automatically started by the human body when there is a risk of bleeding.
An important question is how long platelets live. Their viability time lasts approximately 10 days. Depending on the age of the red plates, their size changes: from 2 to 5 microns in diameter.
The process of platelet renewal in the blood occurs constantly. Therefore, an important factor to ensure the maintenance of blood condition is the balance between the formation of red plates and their death. Otherwise, there may be a tendency to blood clots or increased bleeding.
Normal platelet count in blood
The number of platelets in the body should normally vary from 180 to 320*10^9 for women and from 200 to 400*10^9 for men per liter of blood. Moreover, the number of platelets in women can change during menstruation to 75 * 10^9 per liter of blood, can decrease in the third trimester in pregnant women and, regardless of gender, increase in response to an inflammatory reaction, which seems to be a physiological norm and is not a deviation, without carrying negative symptoms.
In children, the normal platelet count depends directly on the age of the child. For a newborn, the norm will be 100-420*10^9 per liter of blood, and at two weeks of age and up to a year it is 150-350*10^9 per liter of blood. Up to five years, the amount changes slightly to 180-350*10^9 per liter of blood. By the age of seven, the norm reaches 180-450*10^9 per liter of blood.
For prevention, you need to take a blood test at least once a year in order to identify a possible pathology as early as possible and begin its treatment as soon as possible at an early stage, before the development of a severe clinical condition. If a deviation is detected, a blood test is performed more often.
They live in the body for only 9-10 days, after which they are renewed, destroyed in the liver or spleen and re-proliferate in the bone marrow.
Online consultation with infectious disease specialist, allergist-immunologist Natalia Nikolaevna Gordienko
Cost of online consultation: 3500 rubles
Online consultation
During the consultation, you will be able to voice your problem, the doctor will clarify the situation, interpret the tests, answer your questions and give the necessary recommendations.
Normal platelet count
The normal platelet level is two hundred to four hundred thousand units/μl. Depending on the age of the person, their number may vary. Thus, for example, in newborns the norm is two hundred eight to four hundred ten thousand units/μl. In the future, as the child grows and develops, their normal number may differ. Therefore, in order to adequately interpret a child’s blood test, you should use special tables of blood indicators according to the baby’s age. What is the norm of platelets - it was said above. A change in the number of blood platelets increases the risk of blood clots or bleeding. If there are abnormalities in the blood test, the test should be taken several times a year as directed by a doctor.
In laboratories, several methods are used to count platelet counts:
- in a special counting chamber with a phase contrast device,
- in painted smears,
- using special hematology analyzers.
Then the obtained indicators are entered into a special form.
Causes of low platelet count in blood test
A decrease in the number of platelets in a general blood test below normal to 150*10^9 per liter of blood and below is a pathological condition and is called “thrombocytopenia”. Since this is a condition, not a disease, it only characterizes, being a symptom of a specific disease.
There can be many reasons for a decrease in platelets, and they are all different from each other, so it can sometimes be very difficult to name one at once.
The main causes of thrombocytopenia are:
- Increased platelet destruction.
- Increased platelet consumption.
- Insufficient platelet production.
These three conditions can be the result of an inherited condition in which enzyme activity is impaired, but more often it is an acquired condition due to:
- Suppression of bone marrow activity.
- Hemoblastosis (tumor disease of hematopoietic or lymphoid tissue).
- Disseminated vascular coagulation syndrome (due to various bacterial infections or brain injury).
- Vitamin B12 deficiency.
- Folic acid deficiency.
- Hypersplenism syndrome (an increase in the size of the spleen, as well as an increase in the destruction of blood cells).
- Hemorrhagic diathesis (increased bleeding).
- Immune thrombocytopenia.
- Thrombocytopenic purpura.
- Leukemia (malignant disease of the bone marrow, otherwise called blood cancer).
- Paroxysmal nocturnal or cold hemoglobinuria.
- Collagenosis (connective tissue damage).
Additional reasons for a decrease in platelets in the blood may also be:
- Violation of medication regimen (vancomycin, heparin, sulfamethoxazole, drugs for the treatment of diabetes mellitus).
- Use of chemotherapy drugs.
- Massive blood transfusion.
- Cirrhosis of the liver.
- Myelofibrosis.
- Hepatitis C virus.
- Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
- Epstein-Barr virus (infectious mononucleosis).
- Hyperthyroidism.
- Hypothyroidism.
- Hemolytic-uremic syndrome.
- Alcoholism.
Decreased platelet count
This condition is called thrombocytopenia ( platelet count 100 ) and often develops after uncontrolled medication use. Leukocytopenia can accompany pathologies such as cirrhosis, hepatitis, bone marrow damage, thyroid diseases, hematological diseases, alcoholism and other pathologies. As a result of these diseases, the fragility of blood vessels increases. Long periods of menstruation, cuts, tooth extraction, bleeding gums, and frequent nosebleeds can also contribute to low platelet counts.
Thrombocytosis rate table
First of all, medications are used to treat a low platelet count. If necessary, doctors prescribe platelet transfusions.
Consequences of low platelet count
In a state of low platelet count, disorders subsequently develop, which include frequent bleeding (menstrual and nosebleeds), while the bleeding time increases significantly and becomes difficult to stop. Sudden gum bleeding may develop (not everyone does). Blood clots may be found in urine or stool. Petechiae (red dots resulting from damage to the capillary wall) appear on the skin of the lower extremities, most often the legs. Even minimal damage leads to the formation of ecchymoses (bruises), when normally a bruise would not appear.
The severity of symptoms directly depends on the platelet count. The fewer platelets, the more severe the clinic. If the platelet count is very low, internal bleeding into the digestive tract or even bleeding into the brain may occur.
Even in the presence of a mild clinic, it is recommended to consult a general practitioner in order to prevent this condition.
Increased platelet levels
Elevated platelets are a pathological condition. It is called thrombocytosis. The main danger of the pathology is the increased risk of blood clots.
The cause of an increase in the level of platelets in the blood can be various diseases. Most often thrombocytosis occurs against the background of:
- Malignant neoplasms.
- Infectious diseases.
- Helminthic infestations.
- Surgical operations.
- Autoimmune pathologies.
- Kidney failure.
High levels of platelets in the blood are observed in older people. Temporarily, indicators may increase after heavy physical exertion, for example, after playing sports.
The symptoms of thrombocytosis are characteristic, but mild. It is imperative to conduct a general blood test if the following symptoms are noted:
- Pain in the fingers and toes.
- Itching of skin surfaces.
- Unreasonable weakness, which leads to decreased performance.
- Lack of appetite.
Platelet diagnostics
At the first appearance of relevant clinical symptoms (bleeding and bruising), it is necessary to consult a specialist, in this case it is a general practitioner. There is no need to postpone going to the doctor until the clinic gets worse, because in this case the treatment will be more difficult and the outcome will be less favorable.
To diagnose thrombocytopenia, you must first take a blood test. If the analysis reveals a low platelet count, the general practitioner may refer you to a hematologist, who will prescribe additional tests, such as:
- Coagulogram with determination of clotting time.
- Blood biochemistry for LDH, ASAT, ALAT and bilirubin.
- Antibody test.
- MRI.
- Ultrasound of the abdominal organs.
- Genetic studies (to exclude hereditary thrombocytopenia).
After conducting research and identifying the true cause of thrombocytopenia, a general practitioner or hematologist prescribes appropriate treatment, which includes eliminating the cause of the decrease in platelet count.
Online consultation with infectious disease specialist, allergist-immunologist Natalia Nikolaevna Gordienko
consultation cost: 1000 rubles
Online consultation
During the consultation, you will be able to voice your problem, the doctor will clarify the situation, interpret the tests, answer your questions and give the necessary recommendations.
Decreased platelet levels
Low platelet levels, the norm of which differs between men and women, provoke the development of a condition known as thrombocytopenia. Very often it occurs against the background of uncontrolled use of medications: antidepressants and antibiotics.
The reasons for a decrease in the level of platelets in the blood can be various infectious diseases: ARVI, hepatitis, herpes, etc. Thrombocytopenia can be observed when a large number of blood thinning products are included in the diet. These are ginger, cherries, garlic, onions, etc.
Non-infectious factors that reduce the level of platelets in the blood include pregnancy, vitamin deficiency, alcohol or heavy metal poisoning.
Thrombocytopenia can be suspected based on the following signs:
- Heavy menstruation.
- Frequent nosebleeds.
- The appearance of hematomas.
With a constant pathological decrease in the level of platelets in the blood, the risks of developing severe bleeding and stroke conditions, which are life-threatening, increase.
Prevention
There is no specific prophylaxis for thrombocytopenia. It is recommended to lead a healthy lifestyle, including proper nutrition, normal sleep, not to overload yourself with work, abstain from drinking alcohol and tobacco products, treat infectious diseases in a timely manner and carry out routine vaccinations. Consult a doctor promptly if there is a sudden disturbance in the body’s functioning.
Author: infectious disease doctor. Allergist-immunologist Natalia Nikolaevna Gordienko
