Medication
What a patient with a low platelet count can do
- Use only an electric razor (not blade) for shaving.
- Avoid contact sports (such as wrestling, boxing, or football) and any other activities that might lead to injury or cause a fall.
- Protect your skin from cuts, scrapes, and sharp objects.
- Use a soft toothbrush.
- If your mouth is bleeding, rinse it a few times with ice water.
Procedures
What should you do if you have a low platelet count?
- Recipes for restoring your platelet count. Below, we’ll take a look at some recipes that work to boost the absorption of nutrients that help your platelet count.
- Iron-rich smoothie. According to this study from the National University of Colombia, it is a fruit that is very rich in iron.
- Nutrient-rich salad. Clean all the vegetables well. ...
Self-care
Supplements
- Chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is a green pigment found in plants. ...
- Papaya leaf extract. In research on mice, papaya leaf extract significantly increased platelet and red blood cell counts when compared to other mice.
- Melatonin. Melatonin is a hormone produced by the body that helps regulate the body’s internal clock. ...
Nutrition
Medications. Certain medications can reduce the number of platelets in your blood. Sometimes a drug confuses the immune system and causes it to destroy platelets. Examples include heparin, quinine, sulfa-containing antibiotics and anticonvulsants.
How do you treat a low platelet count?
What to do if I have a low platelet count?
What foods to eat for low platelet count?
What medications lower platelet count?
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How do you raise low platelet count?
8 Things That Can Increase Your Blood Platelet CountEating more leafy greens. ... Eating more fatty fish. ... Increasing folate consumption. ... Avoiding alcohol. ... Eating more citrus. ... Consuming more iron-rich foods. ... Trying a chlorophyll supplement. ... Avoiding vitamin E and fish oil supplements.
What medications can increase platelet count?
Romiplostim injection is used to increase the number of platelets (cells that help the blood to clot) in order to decrease the risk of bleeding in adults who have immune thrombocytopenia (ITP; idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura; an ongoing condition that may cause easy bruising or bleeding due to an abnormally low ...
What happens if your platelet count is too low?
Dangerous internal bleeding can occur when your platelet count falls below 10,000 platelets per microliter. Though rare, severe thrombocytopenia can cause bleeding into the brain, which can be fatal.
Is low platelet count curable?
If you have mild thrombocytopenia, you may be able to raise your platelet count through diet and supplements. However, if you have a severely low platelet count, you'll likely need medical treatment to avoid any complications.
What foods to avoid if you have low platelets?
What Not to EatAlcohol: Wine, liquor, and regular or nonalcoholic beer can lower platelet counts. ... Refined grains, sugar, and foods or drinks with added sugar: These may cause fatigue and reduce platelet count.More items...•
What is the most common cause of low platelet count?
One of the most common causes of low platelets is a condition called immune thrombocytopenia (ITP). You may hear it called by its old name, idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura.
Do you feel tired with low platelets?
Things to know about thrombocytopenia (low platelet count) Symptoms and signs of thrombocytopenia may include fatigue, bleeding, and others.
What medications cause low platelets?
Platelets are cells in the blood that help the blood clot. A low platelet count makes bleeding more likely....Other medicines that cause drug-induced thrombocytopenia include:Furosemide.Gold, used to treat arthritis.Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)Penicillin.Quinidine.Quinine.Ranitidine.Sulfonamides.More items...•
What is the alarming level of platelets?
A normal platelet count ranges from 150,000 to 450,000 platelets per microliter of blood. Having more than 450,000 platelets is a condition called thrombocytosis; having less than 150,000 is known as thrombocytopenia.
What cancers cause low platelets?
Certain cancers such as leukemia or lymphoma can lower your platelet count. The abnormal cells in these cancers can crowd out healthy cells in the bone marrow, where platelets are made. Less common causes of a low platelet count include: Cancer that spreads to the bone.
Which juice is good to increase platelets?
Beet root also prevents the free radical damage of platelets and helps in increasing its number. Therefore, consuming a glass of beet root juice can greatly help in increasing the number of platelets.
What infections cause low platelets?
Infections with protozoa, bacteria and viruses can cause thrombocytopenia with or without disseminated intravascular coagulation. Commonly dengue, malaria, scrub typhus and other rickettsial infections, meningococci, leptospira and certain viral infections present as fever with thrombocytopenia.
How to stop bleeding from low platelet count?
If you begin bleeding, follow these steps and contact your care provider: Have a seat or lie down. Try to remain calm. Apply pressure to the wound if you can see it. Apply an ice pack to the site to slow the bleeding.
What causes low platelet count?
Nutritional deficiencies: As with anemia, iron deficiency or vitamin deficiencies (B12, folate) can lead to low platelet counts, since the body doesn't have the basic nutrients to create them. Viral infections: Certain viral infections such as hepatitis C or HIV may result in decreased production of platelets.
Why does my thrombocytopenia increase during pregnancy?
Pregnancy: Gestational thrombocytopenia is a fairly common condition during the third trimester due to increased blood dilution, as blood volume continues to increase and platelet counts fail to increase at the same rate.
What causes thrombocytopenia?
Autoimmune conditions: Diseases such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis may cause immune thrombocytopenia as the immune system starts to attack itself, destroying platelets in the process. Bacterial blood infections: Bacteremia, or a bacterial infection affecting the blood, may destroy platelets.
What happens if your platelet count is low?
Call your doctor if any of the following issues increase in frequency, severity, or become worrisome to you: 5 . Pain in your joints, particularly large joints like the knees and hips.
How to stop bleeding gums?
Avoid contact sports to minimize the potential risk of injury and bleeding. Use an extra-soft toothbrush and perform diligent mouth care to reduce gum inflammation, as inflamed gums bleed more easily when flossing. Avoid flossing when your platelet count gets very low.
Can low platelet count be treated?
Treatment. A low blood platelet count will often return to a normal level if the cause can be clearly identified and treated. This allows your bone marrow to recover normal function, such as post-pregnancy or post-cancer treatment, though the timeline will differ for everyone. 5 .
What is the best treatment for low platelet count?
Medications and treatments used to stabilize severely low platelet counts can include platelet transfusions, splenectomy (surgery to remove the spleen), corticosteroids or immunoglobulins, which block effects of the immune system. ( 1)
What vitamins help with low platelet count?
Aside from vitamin B 12 and folate described above to help prevent deficiencies, and anti-inflammatories for controlling pain, there’s evidence that people with low platelet counts can also benefit from taking or consuming more of the following: ( 4)
How to raise platelet count?
Once a diagnosis has been made, you can use the recommendations below to help raise your blood platelet counts, manage symptoms and prevent complications from developing: 1. Improve Your Diet. Vitamin B12 or folate (vitamin B9) deficiency can both cause mild to moderate low platelet counts.
Why is it important to protect yourself from low platelet count?
For people who already have been diagnosed with low platelet counts, avoiding injuries and infections is important, since both can worsen autoimmune reactions, spleen enlargement and trigger excessive bleeding.
What does it mean when your platelet count is low?
If so, there’s a chance you have a low platelet count. Having a low platelet count — a condition called “thrombocytopenia” — is a problem with normal blood clotting and bruising that results from having low levels of thrombocytes , colorless blood cells produced by bone marrow. Thrombocytes are responsible for helping form blood clots in ...
What is the role of thromocytes in blood clots?
Thrombocytes are responsible for helping form blood clots in the arteries/veins and stopping bleeding. A low platelet count puts someone at a higher risk for internal bleeding or other blood clotting and blood vessel-related problems — and unfortunately can sometimes really take a toll on quality of life.
How long does it take for platelets to die?
In healthy people, platelets wind up dying off after about 10 days, at which point they’re replaced by new ones.
What is low platelet count?
A low platelet count is a blood disorder that has a long list of possible causes . It is also known as thrombocytopenia. Reduced platelet content in the blood is not always a serious problem. However, the condition affects the ability of the blood to clot, and wounds can bleed severely with this condition. This can have serious complications in some ...
What causes low platelets?
Platelets are the component in blood that enables it to clot. Medicines, poisonous substances, heavy alcohol drinking, and even drinks with quinine in them, such as tonic water, can cause low platelet counts. Quinine is also found in tablets for leg cramps. If a doctor finds one of these substances to be the cause of a low platelet count, ...
What is ITP in medical terms?
ITP refers to idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura. It is also known as immune thrombocytopenia. The name of the condition relates to bleeding-induced rashes that occur as a result of a low platelet count. Idiopathic means that the cause is not known. In ITP, the immune system attacks platelets.
Why are platelets low?
The level of platelets is usually low as a result of two main factors. Either an underlying medical condition is causing the reduced level, or an individual is taking a medication or substance that serves to reduce platelet count.
What is the role of platelets in blood?
Platelets form a crucial part of the composition of blood. They are responsible for repairing tissue damage and play a vital role in the blood-clotting system, which helps to stop bleeding and heal wounds. Blood clotting is also known as hemostasis. Platelets are not invisible to the naked eye.
How many platelets are in a microliter?
A normal platelet count is around 140,000 to 450,000 platelets per microliter (μl) of blood. When the number of platelets is low, this concentration reduces. Women normally experience a platelet count that varies slightly during the menstrual cycle and can fall near the end of pregnancy.
What are the causes of thrombocytopenia?
Poisons that can cause thrombocytopenia include pesticides, arsenic, and benzene. The following are antiplatelet or anti-clotting drugs that reduce the platelet count: glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors, including abciximab, eptifibatide, and tirofiban. heparin.
What foods are good for low platelet count?
with low platelet counts. The best sources of vitamin B-12 tend to be animal-based foods, such as: beef liver. clams. eggs. While vitamin B-12 is also found in dairy products, such as milk and cheese, some studies indicate that cow’s milk can interfere with platelet production.
How to increase platelet count?
Eating certain foods and taking supplements may help to increase your platelet count. However, be sure to tell your health care provider about any ongoing thrombocytopenia symptoms. If you have a very low platelet count, you’ll likely need medical treatment to avoid serious complications.
What is the best vitamin for blood cells?
Folate. Folate is a B vitamin that helps your cells. Trusted Source. , including blood cells. It appears naturally in many foods, and it’s added to others in the form of folic acid. Sources of natural folate include: peanuts. black-eyed peas. kidney beans.
What does it mean when your platelet count is low?
A low platelet count is also referred to as thrombocytopenia. Certain infections, leukemia, cancer treatments, alcohol abuse, cirrhosis of the liver, enlargement of the spleen, sepsis, autoimmune diseases, ...
What is the best supplement for thrombocytopenia?
Chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is a green pigment that allows plants to absorb light from the sun. Some people with thrombocytopenia report that taking a chlorophyll supplement helps to relieve symptoms, such as fatigue. However, no clinical studies have evaluated its effectiveness.
Can you raise platelet count with thrombocytopenia?
If you have mild thrombocytopenia, you may be able to raise your platelet count through diet and supplements. However, if you have a severely low platelet count, you’ll likely need medical treatment to avoid any complications. Supplements and herbs aren’t monitored by the FDA and therefore aren’t regulated for quality or purity.
Does papaya leaf extract increase platelet count?
found that papaya leaf extract significantly increased platelet counts in animals. While more research is needed to test its effect on humans, it won’t cause any problems as long as you don’t take more than the recommended dose. You can find papaya leaf extract in pill form in many health food stores or on Amazon.
What is the medical term for a low platelet count?
Thrombocytopenia is the medical term used to describe a low platelet count. Blood platelets are the tiny cells responsible for clotting the blood when you cut yourself. They help stop bleeding by clumping together and acting as plugs when you experience a blood vessel injury. When platelet counts are low, thrombocytopenia can set in ...
What happens when your platelet count is low?
When platelet counts are low, thrombocytopenia can set in and leave you at risk, most dangerously for internal bleeding. Platelets are just one of many cell types that make up the blood floating through your body. They are colorless, while the other components of blood, white cells and red cells, are characterized by their hue.
What foods can you eat to treat thrombocytopenia?
Folate can be found in leafy greens like spinach and asparagus, as well as avocado, lentils and beets. Basically, try to limit processed foods and eat an array of fruits, vegetables, fresh meats, legumes, and healthy fats. Other steps you can take to treat thrombocytopenia include: Blood platelet transfusion.
How long do platelets stay in the blood?
Blood platelets are produced in the bone marrow and remain in the blood for roughly 10 days until they are naturally destroyed.
Why are my platelets low?
Some other causes of low platelet counts include: 1. Medication. A variety of medications have the ability to thin your blood and lower the count of blood-clotting platelets.
What are the factors that affect platelet count?
Environmental toxins can also play a role in platelet count, and they can be both naturally occurring and man-made.#N#Their effect usually comes by way of exacerbating an existing autoimmune condition. These can include products like pesticides, herbicides, plastics, toxins produced by grains and mushrooms, polyurethane, and wood preservatives.
What is the color of thrombocytopenia?
They are colorless, while the other components of blood, white cells and red cells, are characterized by their hue. Often the result of another health condition, thrombocytopenia typically appears alongside severe illnesses like leukemia or other illnesses that impact the immune system.
What is the normal platelet count?
A normal platelet count is between 150,000 to 450,000 per 1 mcL of blood. To clearly understand what does low platelets mean, it signifies an amount of less than 150,000 platelets per microliter of circulating blood.
Is romiplostim safe for ITP?
Long-term safety and efficacy of romiplostim for treatment of immune thrombocytopenia. 2. Promacta (eltrombopag) Promacta (eltrombopag) is also used to increase platelet counts in patients with chronic immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) for the control of bruising and bleeding.
What medications can reduce platelets?
Sometimes a drug confuses the immune system and causes it to destroy platelets. Examples include heparin, quinine, sulfa-containing antibiotics and anticonvulsants.
Why do platelets stop bleeding?
Platelets stop bleeding by clumping and forming plugs in blood vessel injuries. Thrombocytopenia might occur as a result of a bone marrow disorder such as leukemia or an immune system problem. Or it can be a side effect of taking certain medications. It affects both children and adults.
How to tell if you have thrombocytopenia?
Thrombocytopenia signs and symptoms may include: 1 Easy or excessive bruising (purpura) 2 Superficial bleeding into the skin that appears as a rash of pinpoint-sized reddish-purple spots (petechiae), usually on the lower legs 3 Prolonged bleeding from cuts 4 Bleeding from your gums or nose 5 Blood in urine or stools 6 Unusually heavy menstrual flows 7 Fatigue 8 Enlarged spleen
How many platelets are in thrombocytopenia?
Thrombocytopenia means you have fewer than 150,000 platelets per microliter of circulating blood. Because each platelet lives only about 10 days, your body normally renews your platelet supply continually by producing new platelets in your bone marrow.
What causes a shortage of platelets in the bloodstream?
Increased breakdown of platelets. Some conditions can cause your body to use up or destroy platelets faster than they're produced, leading to a shortage of platelets in your bloodstream. Examples of such conditions include: Pregnancy. Thrombocytopenia caused by pregnancy is usually mild and improves soon after childbirth.
What are the symptoms of thrombocytopenia?
Thrombocytopenia signs and symptoms may include: Easy or excessive bruising (purpura) Superficial bleeding into the skin that appears as a rash of pinpoint-sized reddish-purple spots (petechiae), usually on the lower legs. Prolonged bleeding from cuts.
What is the rare condition that occurs when small blood clots suddenly form throughout your body, using up large numbers
This is a rare condition that occurs when small blood clots suddenly form throughout your body, using up large numbers of platelets. Hemolytic uremic syndrome. This rare disorder causes a sharp drop in platelets, destruction of red blood cells and impairs kidney function. Medications.
What is low platelet count?
Low Platelet Count (Bleeding) Platelets are blood cells called thrombocytes and help your blood clot, so you stop bleeding. Low platelet count is also called thrombocytopenia. When your platelet levels are lower than normal, your blood isn’t able to clot as it should, putting you at a higher risk for excessive bleeding.
Why is my platelet count low?
Your platelet count may be low if the body is not making enough platelets, losing platelets, or platelets are being destroyed. In patients with cancer, low platelet count may be caused by:
Why do you need a platelet transfusion?
A platelet transfusion might be needed in some patients with cancer who have a low platelet count. Platelets may be given to prevent bleeding when the platelet count is very low, or they may be given if a patient has some unusual bleeding to help stop it.
How to stop bleeding from a cancer patient?
If your mouth is bleeding, rinse it a few times with ice water. Talk to your cancer care team about whether you should put off flossing your teeth until your platelet counts improve. Do not blow your nose or cough with great force. Use a stool softener to avoid constipation and straining during a bowel movement.
What is the protein in your body called that attacks platelets?
Sometimes the proteins in your body called antibodies may attack and destroy platelets. Another health problem or medication that is not related to your cancer.
Is it safe to give platelets?
Before platelets are given, the donor is carefully matched to the patient and the platelets are screened so they are safe. But, receiving a platelet transfusion has some risks: Transfusion reaction: This happens when the patient’s immune system attacks proteins on the foreign blood cells.
