Platelets important to stop bleeding: Expert

Vijayawada: It will be a problem if the number of platelets in blood dropped or increased, said noted hematologist and medical oncologist Dr Ravi Kiran Bobba while addressing the health education programme at Vasavya Nursing Home in Vijayawada with Dr G Samaram in the chair on Saturday.

"Platelets, which are made in bone marrow, are very important to stop bleeding in emergency situations," the hematologist said. Generally, he said people believe that the number of platelets comes down in case of dengue fever but there were many diseases that cause drop in number of platelets resulting in serious problems.

He said the drop in number of platelets was dangerous but at the same time the abnormal increase of platelets would also harmful which may lead to paralysis, heart arrack and others. He said there would be 1.5 lakh to 3.5 lakh platelets in a micro litre blood and the count should not be less than the minimum or more than the maximum.

In case of drop in number of platelets, he said the patients would be affected by the fatal purpura fulminans syndrome which would result in rash on skin due to the breaking of veins.

Moreover, there would be bleeding from gums, and nose without any reason, blood in urine, feces will turn black and even blood vomiting, he added. Bone marrow failure was one of the reasons for drop in platelets in addition to chemotherapy and radiation in cancer treatment, he said added alcoholism would also result in drop in platelets.

The specialist said the number of platelets would also drop in the viral diseases like cytomegalovirus, hepatitis-C virus and even mumps. At the same time, he said the increase in the number of platelets would be found in cancers to lungs, breast and stomach.