What Is A Normal Platelet Count
What is a normal platelet count?
Platelets the small cells that help stop bleeding and form clots are a vitally important part of your blood. If one of your blood vessels gets damaged, like a cut, it sends out messages to your platelets. The platelets then bind together to create a clot and stop the bleeding. Some signs of a low platelet count include bruising easily and inordinate bleeding from a small cut.
So just how many platelets should be traveling through your bloodstream?
Average Platelet CountA normal platelet count is between 150,000 and 400,000 per microliter of blood. Because platelets only live in the body for about 10 days, your bone marrow creates millions of platelets each day.
For women, the average platelet count is between 157,000 and 371,000 per microliter of blood. For men, the average is between 135,000 and 317,000 per microliter of blood.
Abnormal Platelet CountIf your platelet count is higher or lower than normal, it can be a sign of an underlying medical condition, or it could be a side effect of medication. A platelet count higher than 450,000 per microliter of blood is known as thrombocytosis.
This excess of platelets can cause unnecessary clotting, or even bleeding if the platelets are not functioning properly. A platelet count lower than 150,000 per microliter of blood is known as thrombocytopenia. A count lower than 10,000 is considered severe thrombocytopenia.
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What Are The Symptoms
Bleeding causes the main symptoms of thrombocytopenia. Symptoms can appear suddenly or over time. Mild thrombocytopenia often has no symptoms. Many times, it is found during a routine blood test.
Signs of bleeding may include:
- Bleeding that lasts a long time, even from small injuries
- Petechiae, which are small, flat red spots under the skin caused by blood leaking from blood vessels
- Purpura,which is bleeding in your skinthat can cause red, purple, or brownish- yellow spots
- Nosebleeds or bleeding from your gums
- Blood in your urine or stool,which canappear as red blood or as a dark, tarry color
- Heavy menstrual bleeding
Purpura and petechiae in the skin. The photograph shows two types of bruising that are common in people who have thrombocytopenia. The larger red, brown, and purple dots are purpura, and the smaller red and purple dots are petechiae.
My Report Includes Mean Platelet Volume And Platelet Distribution Width What Are They
Mean platelet volume and platelet distribution width are calculations performed by automated blood analyzers. These calculations can give your healthcare practitioner additional information about your platelets and the cause of a high or low platelet count. Larger platelets are usually younger platelets that have been released earlier than normal from the bone marrow, while smaller platelets may be older and have been in circulation for a few days.
- MPV reflects the average size of your platelets. A high number of large platelets and a low platelet count suggests your bone marrow is producing platelets and releasing them into circulation rapidly. An elevated MPV has been associated with poorer survival rates in certain cancers. Conversely, a low MPV indicates platelets are smaller than average and are older. This may be due to a disorder affecting production by the bone marrow. A low MPV has been associated with inflammatory bowel disease, chemotherapy, and aplastic anemia.
- PDW reflects how uniform the platelets are in size. A normal PDW indicates platelets that are mostly the same size, while a high PDW means that platelet size varies greatly, a clue that there is platelet activation and has been associated with vascular diseases and certain cancers.
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Higher Risk Of Spontaneous Bleeding
If the blood platelet count falls below , a person can begin bleeding spontaneously. This is a medical emergency, and people who experience spontaneous bleeding may require a blood, or platelet, transfusion.
Low platelet count increases the risk of death in people who experience a traumatic injury.
Several factors can cause a persons platelet levels to change. These include acute and chronic medical conditions and age.
How To Increase Blood Platelets
With some foods and supplements rich in Vitamin A, Folate, and Vitamin K the bone marrow can restore the normal platelet count after mild decrease, for instance the Papaya, Pomegranate, Pumpkin, Wheatgrass, as well as Milk will help body platelets to multiply and show higher in the test.Treatment of moderate low platelet count may includes:But, too low platelets count for instance less than 20,000 in particular must have blood or platelets transfusion in order to enhance the blood normal levels quickly then your doctor have to follow up with medications.Chronic disease accompanied by a decrease in platelets can only have few chances of treatment under the chronic status.Other treatments for severe low count of platelets:
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How Is Thrombocytopenia Treated
Treatment for thrombocytopenia depends on what caused it and whether you have any symptoms. If you have mild thrombocytopenia, you may not need treatment. A fully normal platelet count is not necessary to prevent serious bleeding, even with serious cuts or accidents.
If you have serious bleeding or a high risk of complications, you may need medicines or procedures. Also, you will need to treat the condition that is causing the low platelet count.
If a reaction to a medicine is causing the low platelet count, your provider may prescribe another medicine. Most people recover after the initial medicine has been stopped. For HIT, stopping the heparin is not enough. Often, you will need another medicine to prevent blood clotting.
If your immune system is causing the low platelet count, your provider may prescribe medicines to suppress the immune system.
How Do Platelets Work
When platelets come in touch with any disruption in the vessel walls, they form clumps and clots to stop the bleeding. They do this by sticking to the injured site, clumping together, and attracting other platelets by chemicals. The trigger can be a small cut or an irregularity in the arteries, leading to the clumping, blocking of circulation, and damaging the affected organ, such as a heart attack.
In cases of large, intra-vessel clots, these can break off into smaller pieces and travel to other areas of the body leading to similar blockage situations in the limbs.
Immobile patients such as bedridden, post-operative, and post-trauma, can develop clots in their legs disturbing the circulation on movement, his clot or its broken pieces can dislodge and severely damage the lung circulation.
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What Do Mean Platelet Volume Tests Test
A healthy platelet count is between 150,000 to 450,000 platelets per microliter of blood. If your platelet count is within that range, that may show that you have an average amount of platelets. However, if it falls under 150,000 or above 450,000, that could suggest that you have a health problem. Thrombocytopenia and thrombocytosis are two possible conditions that a low or high MPV could be a sign of.
Thrombocytopenia
If your MPV test shows that you have a platelet count of under 150,000 per microliter of blood, that means you have thrombocytopenia. Thrombocytopenia means that your body has trouble making enough blood clots to help you guard against injury or impact. People with thrombocytopenia find themselves bruising or bleeding quite easily.
It is usually caused by:
- General problems with the bone marrowâ
Thrombocytosis
Thrombocytosis is when the mean number of your platelets within your blood is higher than average. There are two types of thrombocytosis: primary and secondary.
Primary thrombocytosis is when abnormal cells get into bone marrow and increase the production of platelets. This condition is relatively mysterious, and its causes are not known.
Secondary thrombocytosis is medically the same as primary thrombocytosis but is caused by some other condition or disease. It can be caused by cancer, inflammation, infection, bone marrow disease, or anemia . Typically, secondary thrombocytosis is treated by treating whatever is causing it.
Is High Platelet Count Always Serious
Many times, a high platelet count doesnt cause any symptoms. It may just be found through routine blood work.
Although the cause for the high levels should be investigated, it is not always due to something dangerous or serious. For example, platelets can become elevated in response to medications, an infection, low iron levels, or exercising.
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Causes Of High Platelet Counts
Some can cause a higher than normal platelet count. A doctor may order a retest a few days or weeks later if this happens. Some common reasons for high platelet levels include:
- recovering from a recent injury
- recovering from blood loss after surgery
chronic medical conditions may be responsible. These may include:
- Cancer: Lung, stomach, breast, and ovarian cancers, as well as lymphoma, can cause high platelet counts. Additional blood testing, imaging scans, or a biopsy can test for cancer.
- Anemia: People with iron deficiency or hemolytic anemia may have high platelets. Further blood testing can detect most forms of anemia.
- Inflammatory disorders: Diseases that cause an inflammatory immune response, such as rheumatoid arthritis or inflammatory bowel disease , can increase platelet count. A person will have other symptoms in most cases.
- Infections: Some infections, such as tuberculosis, can cause high platelets.
- Splenectomy: Removal of the spleen can cause a temporary increase in platelets.
Why Is The Plt Test Conducted
If a person has unexplained bruises on the body, has minor wounds where bleeding doesnt stop or has bleeding, the doctor may ask for a platelet count test to be carried out. These could be low platelet count symptoms and may need further attention.
Patients who are undergoing chemotherapy or radiation often need low platelet count treatment, and hence the doctor may require the PLT test to be done.
A PLT test is used to detect Cancer of the bone marrow or Leukaemia where cancer cells reduce the bone marrow cells, and the platelet count is drastically lowered.
Renal or kidney-related diseases can also cause a reduction in platelet count.
Patients with chronic bleeding ulcers in the stomach have decreased platelet counts, and the test is carried out to initiate the necessary treatment.
In certain cases, high platelet count can lead to causing lumps which cause blockage in a blood vessel.
The platelet count test price could vary from place to place, and one should carry it out at reputed laboratories only.
Platelet / thrombocyte count test prices vary from one pathological lab to another. However, the platelet thrombocyte count test cost is usually not too exorbitant and is easily affordable. The platelet count test cost offered at home also differ from traditional pathological labs. Portea provides this test at a price of Rs 100*.
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What Do Healthcare Providers Look For
When evaluating the cause of elevated platelets, healthcare providers may look for symptoms like bruising, bleeding, and signs of infection or another underlying condition.
It is likely that blood tests or imaging will be done. These tests may include:
- Iron panel to show how much iron is present
- Complete blood count, which is a full blood panel that includes white blood cell and red blood cell count
- C-reactive protein and erythrocyte sedimentation rate blood tests to see if inflammation is present, which would indicate if the body is trying to heal from an infection or injury
- Blood testing to check for specific gene mutations
- Bone marrow biopsy, which removes a sample of bone marrow for evaluation
- Mammogram, an imaging test that checks for breast cancer
- Upper endoscopy, which is a procedure that inserts a small tube with a camera into the mouth and down to the stomach, to check for cancer in the upper digestive tract
- Colonoscopy, which is a procedure that uses a small tube with a camera that is inserted into the rectum to check for gastrointestinal cancer in the large intestine
How Is The Platelet Test Conducted
The Platelet Thrombocyte Test is carried out in a similar manner as any other blood test. To know if the patient has plt normal range, a blood sample is drawn out from a vein in the upper forearm. A laboratory then carries out a chemical and a microscopic analysis of the blood sample. The doctor will be able to determine low platelets causes after analysing the report. He will also suggest how to increase platelet count through medication and diet. The normal range for platelets is between 150000 and 450000 platelets per microliter.
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What If The Plts Blood Test Results Are Too High
If the PLTS blood test shows that the platelet count is above 400k, then this will be considered a high result. This condition is called thrombocytosis, which basically just means the body is making too many platelets for what is needed. The reason why a high platelet count will be examined closely is because it increases the chances of the blood clotting within the body, which leads to serious medical conditions.
A high PLTS result is usually because of a recent infection that someone has had or an allergic reaction. Common hay fever is known to cause high platelet counts. Certain medicines may also cause high platelet counts. More rarely, it can also be caused by the presence of cancer or chronic leukemia. There is also a certain type of anemia that can cause high platelet counts because the red blood cells are being destroyed too early.
What It Means To Have Too Many Platelets
The medical term for having too many platelets is thrombocytosis, and there are two types:
- Primary or essential thrombocytosis Abnormal cells in the bone marrow cause an increase in platelets, but the reason is unknown.
- Secondary thrombocytosis The same condition as primary thrombocytosis, but may be caused by an ongoing condition or disease such as anemia, cancer, inflammation, or infection.
When there are symptoms, they include spontaneous blood clots in the arms and legs, which if untreated can lead to heart attack and stroke. In severe cases, the patient might have to undergo a procedure called a platelet pheresis. This lowers the platelet count by removing the blood, separating out the platelets, and returning the red blood cells back to the body.
With secondary thrombocytosis, the symptoms are usually related to the associated condition. For example, if you have an infection or anemia, you treat those conditions and the platelet count comes down.
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My Report Mentions Giant Platelets What Are They
“Giant platelet” is a term used to describe platelets that are abnormally large, i.e., as large as a normal red blood cell. These may be seen in certain disorders such as immune thrombocytopenic purpura or in rare inherited disorders such as Bernard-Soulier disease. However, it may be necessary for a laboratory professional to use a microscope to examine a blood smear to determine whether the platelets are truly giant or if the platelets clumped together during the testing process. If platelets are clumping, repeat testing may be performed using a different collection tube containing a different anticoagulant that prevents or minimizes platelet clumping.
Clinical And Laboratory Parameters
Patients characteristics, including age, gender, medical history, symptoms and signs, diagnosis, treatment, laboratory testing results were gathered from their electronic medical records. The laboratory testing results included PLT, platelet distribution width , white blood cells , lymphocytes, neutrophils, monocytes, RBC, Hb, red blood cell-specific volume , RDW, erythrocyte sedimentation rate , C-reactive protein , RF, anti-CCP. RPR and HPR were calculated.
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How Is The Test Used
A platelet count is used to determine the number of platelets in your blood. The test is included in a complete blood count , a panel of tests often performed as part of a general health exam.
A platelet count may be used:
A platelet count may be performed in conjunction with tests that evaluate coagulation, such as PT and PTT. A blood smear may be done in follow up to examine the platelets using a microscope. This would help confirm whether platelets might truly be low in number or have clumped together, in addition to assessing their appearance with regards to size and granularity.
Why Did My Doctor Order A Cbc
A complete blood count is frequently part of a routine medical screening, like when you see your primary healthcare provider for an annual physical exam. It is a lab test that analyzes a sample of blood, and it is useful for several reasons:
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It provides a broad picture of your overall health.
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Abnormal values may help detect underlying, undiagnosed health conditions that may not be causing any obvious symptoms.
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It can be used to look for specific conditions, like low blood counts or signs of an infection.
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Getting An Mpv Count Test
When should I get an MPV test?
Usually, your doctor or healthcare provider will know when you need an MPV test. Your MPV test will be a part of a broader test that will give you a lot of information on the makeup of your blood. This test is called a complete blood count or CBC and is a fairly routine exam.
However, there are some occasions where you may be showing specific symptoms that require more immediate testing. Some of these symptoms that will prompt your doctor into giving you a CBC and MPV are:
- Uncontrolled bleeding from minor cuts
- Regular nose bleeds
How should I prepare for an MPV?
There are no special requirements that you need to prepare for when you get an MPV test done. However, your healthcare provider might be doing more than just an MPV test on your blood. In that case, you may have to fast or limit your water intake. Either way, they will let you know. â
What should I expect for the actual test?
MPV tests are relatively non-invasive and quick. Your provider will take a small blood sample from one of your veins and then put the sample in a tube or vial. This usually takes around five minutes. â
There is very little that can go wrong in this test â and at most, you might feel some pain and have minor bruising from where your provider collects a blood sample.
What factors could contribute to a misreading from my MPV test?
Other factors to think about around your test could be:
- Altitude levels