Why a person with thrombocytopenia purpurea shows many bruises or purple marks?
What Is Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura?
Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) is a bleeding disorder in which the blood does not clot as it should. The bleeding is due to a low number of platelets (PLATE-lets), blood cells that help the blood clot and stop bleeding. People with ITP often have purple bruises that appear on the skin. The bruises mean that bleeding has occurred in small blood vessels under the skin.
The words idiopathic, thrombocytopenic, and purpura mean:
* Idiopathic (id-ee-o-PATH-ick) means that the cause of the disease or disorder is not known.
* Thrombocytopenic (throm-bo-cy-toe-PEE-nick) means there is a lower-than-normal number of platelets in the blood.
* Purpura (PURR-purr-ah) are purple bruises where bleeding occurs just under the skin. Purple areas may also appear on the mucus membranes (for example, in the mouth). A person with ITP also may have bleeding that looks like tiny red or purple dots on the skin. These dots, often seen on the lower legs, are called petechiae (peh-TEE-kee-ay). Petechiae may look like a kind of rash.
With ITP:
* People may have nosebleeds, bleeding from the gums when they have dental work done, or other bleeding that is hard to stop.
* Women may have heavy menstrual bleeding.
* Symptomatic bleeding in the brain is very rare but can be life threatening if it occurs.
ITP is largely an autoimmune disease. The decrease in platelets occurs because the immune system attacks and destroys the body's own platelets, for an unknown reason. Normally, your immune system helps your body fight off infections and diseases. But when the immune system mistakenly attacks some part of a person's own body, this is called an autoimmune disease. Because "idiopathic" means "of unknown cause," a better name for most cases of ITP is immune thrombocytopenic purpura.
What Are Platelets and How Do They Work?
Platelets are small blood cells, or thrombocytes (THROM-bo-sites), that are made in your bone marrow (along with other kinds of blood cells). Platelets circulate through the blood vessels and help stop bleeding by sticking together to seal small cuts or breaks in tiny blood vessels.
Types of ITP
There are two types of ITP: acute (temporary or short-term) ITP and chronic (long-lasting) ITP.
* Acute ITP generally lasts less than 6 months. It mainly occurs in children, both boys and girls, and is the most common type of ITP. It typically occurs following an infection caused by a virus. This type of ITP often goes away on its own within a few weeks or months and does not return. Treatment may not be needed.
* Chronic ITP is a long-lasting (6 months or longer) type of ITP that mostly affects adults. However, some teenagers and even younger children get this type of ITP. Chronic ITP affects women two to three times more often than men. Treatment depends on how severe the bleeding symptoms are and the platelet count. In mild cases, treatment may not be needed. (
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I also have gestational thrombocytopenia, how can I get my platelets to go higher?
I borrowed this from another question, and it seems to be a good answer.
>>>>>Yes. There is a proven way to increase platelet and refresh generally the blood. Beetroot and spinach in any form, especially juice and fish oceanus like salmon. Also vitamin B 12 and zinc supplement.
Good luck and good health
I would also add that you need to start drinking DanActive daily. Just one 4 ounce jar does the trick. 60% of all bad bacteria come into your body through your mouth/stomach. IF you haved a good bacteria, such as DanActive in your body, then it kills the bad stuff, helping you kill an infection before it can make you sick. It works like a charm.
Also, I borro (
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what causes thrombocytopenia purpura?
is there a product or some kind of chemical that causes it?
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you mean TTP? there are two types - one is simply a random autoimmune disease, the other type is hereditary (
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What is Thrombocytopenia and what can be done about it?
Thrombocytopenia is the medical term for a low blood platelet count. Platelets (thrombocytes) are colorless blood cells that play an important role in blood clotting. They stop blood loss by clumping together at the site of a blood vessel injury and forming plugs in vessel holes.
If for any reason your blood platelet count falls below normal, this is called thrombocytopenia. Complications may range from none at all to severe bleeding.
Thrombocytopenia often occurs as a result of a separate disease or disorder. For example, a bone marrow disorder such as leukemia can interfere with platelet production and reduce the number of platelets in your blood. Or sometimes, thrombocytopenia occurs because of an immune system malfunction that develops for unknown reasons. In addition, thrombocytopenia may occur as a reaction to a medication.
Sometimes, treatment for low platelet count isn't necessary, particularly in children. In these cases, the bone marrow may make up for the shortage of platelets by producing large numbers of new ones until the initiating cause subsides. Young platelets are especially active in clotting, so even though the total concentration of platelets is low, your child may not experience any bleeding problems and need no special treatment. Mild thrombocytopenia in pregnant women usually improves soon after childbirth.
Medications. For idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, treatment may include medications that block the antibodies that attack platelets, such as corticosteroids, or medications that suppress the immune system to reduce antibody formation, such as cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan) or azathioprine (Imuran).
Surgery. Sometimes, removing the spleen (splenectomy) relieves signs and symptoms or helps improve chronic idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura that doesn't respond to corticosteroids.
Blood transfusions and plasma exchange. For severe bleeding, your doctor can replace lost blood with transfusions of packed red blood cells. Platelet concentrates are given to treat severe thrombocytopenia, particularly those related to cancer or chemotherapy.
Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura requires emergency treatment with plasma exchange therapy or therapeutic plasmapheresis. If you have hemolytic uremic syndrome, you may need kidney dialysis in addition to red blood cell and platelet transfusions. (
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Expected patient diet for thrombocytopenia?
What type of a diet could I expect a patient diagnosed with thrombocytopenia to be on?
I don't mean weight loss diet. I mean food consistancy, restrictions, increase etc.
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regular diet.
only restriction would be stuff like corn chips that can cut the mouth and lead to bleeding. (
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Low blood platelet counts "thrombocytopenia" in pregnancy?
I'm currently 13 wks pregnant. My doctor told me that my platelet counts have been falling since week 6, when they were already low. (116, now 78). I guess normal is >150, and severe thrombocytopenia is <50.
I've been referred to a hematologist for further guidance, and my appointment is in two weeks. While I'm waiting, I was wondering: has anyone else ever had this, and what happened with them and their baby?
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I found this for you...:
The diagnosis and management of thrombocytopenia during pregancy presents difficult diagnostic and management
problems. The diagnostic distinction among the potential etiologies for thrombocytopenia is often impossible, yet the
diagnosis has major importance for management. Furthermore, management involves not only the care of the mother, but
the anticipation of risk for thrombocytopenia in the infant. The following are the major etiologies for thrombocytopenia
during pregnancy:
Gestational Thrombocytopenia. In many women, mild thrombocytopenia occurs toward the end of pregnancy, and the
platelet count returns to normal within days after delivery. The etiology for this phenomenon is unknown. This is the most
common cause of thrombocytopenia during pregnancy, occurring in approximately 5% of women at term. Gestational
thrombocytopenia is characterized by: (1) asymptomatic, mild thrombocytopenia, (2) with no past history of
thrombocytopenia (except possibly during previous pregnancy, (3) that occurs during late gestation, (4) that is not
associated with fetal thrombocytopenia, and (5) that resolves spontaneously after delivery. Platelet counts are typically
over 70,000, with about two-thirds being between 130,000 and 150,000 (just below the lower limit of normal). Idiopathic
thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), cannot be distinguished from gestational thrombocytopenia with certainty because the
diagnosis of both conditions is based upon the observation of thrombocytopenia with no other apparent cause. Although
ITP may compose a higher percentage of cases when the platelet count is less than 70,000, or when thrombocytopenia is
discovered earlier in pregnancy, gestational thrombocytopenia may still be the appropriate diagnosis if the
thrombocytopenia resolves spontaneously after delivery. However, severe, refractory thrombocytopenia, presumably due
to ITP, may also remit after delivery.
The differential diagnosis between ITP and gestational thrombocytopenia is generally of little clinical importance with
regard to the mother, because cases in which the diagnosis is unclear involve mild thrombocytopenia that does not threaten
maternal health. The differential diagnosis is clinically important with regard to the fetus, because ITP with even mild
thrombocytopenia may cause thrombocytopenia in the fetus, whereas gestational thrombocytopenia does not. Current
tests for identifying anti-platelet antibodies do not help in the differential diagnosis.
Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP). As described above, thrombocytopenia first discovered during
pregnancy may be either ITP or gestational thrombocytopenia. The most important diagnostic step is to search the
patient's record for evidence of thrombocytopenia when she was not pregnant. If no prior platelet counts are available,
then the distinction rests upon the severity of thrombocytopenia and the time of its occurrence during pregnancy. More
severe thrombocytopenia occurring earlier during pregnancy is more likely to be ITP. Management of the mother with ITP
during pregnancy is essentially the same as in a non-pregnant patient, only the management is more conservative.
Splenectomy hopefully is deferred until after delivery, and cytotoxic agents are avoided.
The major focus of concern is on the risk for neonatal thrombocytopenia. In contrast to fetal alloimmune
thrombocytopenia, which may be severe and cause intrauterine fetal hemorrhage, intrauterine fetal hemorrhage has not
been reported in ITP. The main concern is for trauma at birth and its risk of provoking cerebral hemorrhage in the
newborn infant. This serious complication is rare. Among infants born to women with ITP, 10% have platelet counts less
than 50,000. Only 4% have counts less than 20,000 and are therefore at risk for hemorrhage at birth. Although it seems
reasonable that cesarean section delivery is safer for the infant than vaginal delivery, there are no data to support this
hypothesis. Current obstetrical recommendations are to proceed with routine vaginal delivery, reserving cesarean section
for obstetrical indications. It is important to recognize that intracerebral hemorrhage may occur following birth, as the
platelet count may fall further during the first week.
Preeclamsia. About 5 to 10% of all pregnant women have preeclampsia, defined as hypertension and proteinuria
beginning during the second half of gestation. From a hematologic standpoint, preeclampsia is the second most common
cause of thrombocytopenia during pregnancy, since about 15% of patients with preeclampsia develop thrombocytopenia.
It is managed by obstetrical care, with delivery resulting in predictable resolution. The difficulty is to distinguish
preeclampsia from thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura / hemolytic-uremic syndrome (TTP-HUS).
Thr (
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I am doing a case study on thrombocytopenia do you have any information or advise?
do you know anywhere i can view a sample
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First of all, Thrombocytopenia is not a respiratory disease. It means that you don't have enough platelets. Platelets are the little cells that come to the surface when you cut yourself, stick together like Velcro, and form a scab. It can be life threatening, because not enough platelets could mean that a small injury could result in bleeding to death. Here is an example of a case study.
http://www.hemonctoday.com/200707/study.asp (
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What causes 287.5 Thrombocytopenia Nos illness?
Here's the google search page on it;
http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=+Thrombocytopenia&ygmasrchbtn=web+search&fr=ush-ans (
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I have been diagnosed with gestational thrombocytopenia. My platelet count is currently low at 55,000?
My HGB is low at 10.3 gm/dL. My HCT is low at 30.8%. My 1 hour cola gestational glucose test is also low at 101mg/dL. What does this mean?
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I think, the best resource for you is your doc. Every woman's body is different, including yours. If, you want further info., talk with a specialist. Don't put your health @ risk with Yahoo Answers... There too many variables to consider, depending on what else is going on with your body. (
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Can an endometrial ablation cause thrombocytopenia?
i dont understand any of those. i cant even pronounce them (
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