KOMPAS.com – Deficiency platelets, or in medical terms called thrombocytopenia, can trigger various disorders in the body.
The reason is, platelets are colorless blood cells that help the blood clotting process.
Thrombocytopenia can occur due to bone marrow disorders such as leukemia, drug effects, or immune system problems.
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This condition can trigger a variety of symptoms, such as the following:
- appear bruises or rashes on the skin
- nosebleed
- Bleeding gums
- blood is difficult to clot
- heavy menstruation
- bleeding from the rectum
- blood in the stool
- blood in the urine.
In severe cases, low platelet levels can also trigger dangerous internal bleeding.
Cause
According to the Mayo Clinic, a person can be said to have thrombocytopenia if they have a platelet level of less than 150,0000 platelets per microliter of blood.
Low platelet levels can be caused by various things, such as the following:
– Bone marrow problems
Bone marrow is the spongy tissue inside bones. That’s where all the components of the blood, including platelets, are produced.
If the bone marrow doesn’t produce enough platelets, we will have a low platelet count.
The causes of low platelet production can be the following:
- anemia aplastik
- vitamin B-12 deficiency
- folate deficiency
- lack of iron
- viral infections, including HIV, Epstein-Barr, and chickenpox
- exposure to chemotherapy, radiation, or toxic chemicals
- consuming too much alcohol
- cirrhosis
- leukemia
- myelodysplasia.
– Platelets destroyed
Each platelet lives for about 10 days in a healthy body. Low platelet levels can also be caused by the body destroying platelets.
This can be caused by a side effect of certain medications, including diuretic and anti-seizure drugs.
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This condition can also be a symptom of the following diseases:
- hypersplenism, or enlarged spleen
- autoimmune disorders
- pregnancy
- bacterial infection in the blood
- idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura
- purple thrombositopenik thrombotik
- hemolytic uremic syndrome
- disseminated intravascular coagulation.
In addition, low platelet levels can also be triggered by the following conditions:
1. Pregnancy
Thrombocytopenia caused by pregnancy is usually mild and improves shortly after delivery.
2. Autoimmune
Autoimmune diseases, such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, can also lead to low platelet levels.
This occurs because the immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys platelets.
3. Bacteria in the blood
A severe bacterial infection involving the blood (bacteremia) can destroy platelets.
4. Purpura thrombositopenik thrombotik
This condition can occur when small blood clots suddenly form throughout the body, requiring large numbers of platelets.
5 Hemolytic uremic syndrome
This rare disorder causes a sharp drop in platelets, breaks down red blood cells, and impairs kidney function.
6. Drug effect
Certain medications can reduce the number of platelets in the blood.
In addition, certain types of drugs can mess up the immune system and cause the destruction of platelets.
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How to overcome
There are various ways that can be done to deal with low platelet levels.
In mild cases, the doctor may want to delay treatment and only monitor the patient’s condition.
Doctors also often advise patients to take precautions such as the following:
- avoid contact sports
- avoid activities with a high risk of bleeding or bruising
- limit alcohol consumption
- stopping or changing drugs that affect platelets, including aspirin and ibuprofen.
For severe cases, the doctor will provide medical care such as the following:
- blood or platelet transfusions
- replace medications that cause low platelet counts
- give corticosteroids to block platelet antibodies
- provide drugs that suppress the immune system
- surgical removal of the spleen.
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