What are the causes and consequences of low platelets?

When facing the problem of low platelets, we must first focus on understanding the causes. The most common causes are decreased platelet production or ineffective death, especially the main causes of genetic or acquired influences. It may also be caused by some malignant tumors or other infections and radiation problems.

1. Death due to decreased or ineffective platelet production: both hereditary and acquired. Acquired thrombocytopenia is caused by certain factors such as drugs, malignant tumors, infection, ionizing radiation, etc. that damage hematopoietic stem cells or affect their proliferation in the bone marrow. These factors can affect multiple hematopoietic cell systems, often accompanied by varying degrees of anemia, leukopenia, and a significant decrease in bone marrow megakaryocytes.

2. Excessive platelet destruction: both congenital and acquired. Acquired platelet destruction includes immune and non-immune causes. Common immune causes of excessive platelet destruction include idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura and drug-induced thrombocytopenia. Excessive destruction of non-immune thrombocytopenia includes infection, disseminated intravascular coagulation, thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura, etc.

3. "Platelets" in human blood. A normal person contains about 100,000 to 300,000 platelets per cubic millimeter of blood. Their average lifespan is 8 to 12 days. If the platelet count result is lower than the lower limit of the reference value due to various reasons, it is called thrombocytopenia. If thrombocytopenia is severe, it can cause a series of symptoms, such as nose bleeding, bleeding gums, bleeding oral mucosa, gastrointestinal bleeding, heavy menstrual bleeding, hematuria, etc. Bleeding spots or bruises of varying sizes may appear on the skin. This disease is called "thrombocytopenic purpura" in medicine.