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Thrombocytopenia Treatment
Also called: Low platelet count
Thrombocytopenia is a below-normal number of platelets (thrombocytes). Platelets are a type of blood cell. They clump together at the site of an injury to prevent blood loss. This process is known as clotting. Without enough platelets, your child can bleed and bruise easily.
Thrombocytopenia can be severe and require urgent treatment for bleeding, or it can be minor with few problems. Because it has many possible causes, thrombocytopenia is a fairly common condition. However, no numbers are available to track exactly how often it occurs.
Thrombocytopenia symptoms
The signs and symptoms of thrombocytopenia will depend on its severity. Symptoms usually include:
Bruising
Heavy or continued bleeding from cuts or other wounds
Bleeding from the nose or gums
Heavy bleeding after dental work
Very heavy menstrual bleeding
Pinpoint-sized red spots on the skin, often at the site of local trauma or injury
Get medical care right away for any severe bleeding that will not stop even after pressure has been applied to the area.
Thrombocytopenia causes
Thrombocytopenia is usually caused by an underlying disorder. It can occur for 2 reasons:
- The bone marrow (where all blood cells are produced) does not make enough platelets. This can be caused by a bone marrow failure syndrome or leukemia. Certain drugs, like chemotherapy medicines, can also keep the bone marrow from making enough platelets.
- Platelets break down more quickly than usual in the bloodstream or spleen. This can be caused by conditions such as a swollen spleen (hypersplenism), immune thrombocytopenia (ITP), thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP), certain autoimmune disorders, or a bacterial infection in the blood. Being pregnant can also cause mild thrombocytopenia.
Thrombocytopenia diagnosis
Thrombocytopenia is diagnosed based on your child’s medical history, physical exam, and lab tests. Your doctor may ask you about any changes in bleeding or bruising, recent illnesses, or medicines your child is taking.
Tests may include:
- Physical exam and medical history
- A complete blood count (CBC) test to measure the number of platelets and other blood cells
- Looking at platelets under a microscope
- Bone marrow aspiration and biopsy to look at the number and size of cells found in a bone marrow sample
Thrombocytopenia treatment
The severity and cause of thrombocytopenia determines its treatment. Treatment may be needed if your child’s platelet count is very low or if bleeding problems occur.
Thrombocytopenia treatment may include:
Treating the underlying condition: After the cause is addressed, thrombocytopenia may go away on its own. For example, if the low platelet count is caused by a medicine side effect, stopping the medicine might resolve the problem.
Transfusions: Donated platelets can be given through a vein to increase platelets in the blood.
Immunomodulatory therapy: If thrombocytopenia is caused by an autoimmune reaction, the doctor may prescribe medicines to stop the immune system from attacking the platelets.
Spleen removal (splenectomy): In rare cases, this treatment may be needed if the spleen is trapping too many platelets and keeping them from circulating in the bloodstream.
Thrombocytopenia clinical trials
St. Jude offers clinical trials and research studies for children, teens, and young adults with bleeding disorders. Learn more about clinical research at St. Jude.
Recruiting
Study goal:
The primary purpose of this study is to examine the safety of administration of the unlicensed investigational NCBP HPC-CORD BLOOD products in a multi-institution setting.
Recruiting
Study goal:
The main goal of this trial is to collect DNA from individuals with non-cancerous blood diseases and their family members. Researchers will use the DNA to study how genes cause and influence these diseases. All research data will be confidential.
Thrombocytopenia prognosis
The prognosis for thrombocytopenia varies widely depending on the severity of the condition and the underlying cause. Thrombocytopenia is not usually life-threatening on its own, but its underlying condition may be. Survival rates depend on the cause of thrombocytopenia.
Thrombocytopenia care at St. Jude
St. Jude provides the highest quality of care for patients with thrombocytopenia:
- A multidisciplinary team of care providers at St. Jude gives the expert care needed to help families manage blood disorders.
- St. Jude investigators take part in the ITP Consortium of North America (ICON). This group focuses on understanding the best treatment options for children with ITP and improving quality of life for affected children and their caregivers.
- St. Jude patients regularly take part in clinical trials for new therapies. Treatment programs at St. Jude are so successful because the doctors and scientists work closely together to rapidly introduce promising therapies to the clinical setting.
More reasons to choose St. Jude for care include:
- At St. Jude, we have created an environment where children can be children and families can be together.
- The nurse-to-patient ratio at St. Jude is about 1:3 in hematology and oncology and 1:1 in the Intensive Care Unit.
Seeking treatment at St. Jude
Patients accepted to St. Jude must have a disease we treat and must be referred by a physician or other qualified medical professional. We accept most patients based on their ability to enroll in an open clinical trial.
Call: 1-888-226-4343 (toll-free) or 901-595-4055 (local) | Fax: 901-595-4011 | Email: referralinfo@stjude.org | 24-hour pager: 1-800-349-4334