What are the symptoms of thrombocytopenia?

In fact, in life, it is difficult for us to detect whether our platelet count has decreased. Only through professional examination can we know whether the platelet count is within the normal range. Even so, if we understand the symptoms of thrombocytopenia, we can judge our physical condition in time. Let’s take a look at the main clinical manifestations of thrombocytopenia!

Thrombocytopenia refers to a platelet count in the blood <100×109/L. Thrombocytopenia is seen in a variety of blood diseases, rheumatic and immune diseases, radiotherapy and chemotherapy damage, and drug-related thrombocytopenia. Different clinical manifestations may occur depending on the degree of thrombocytopenia: mild cases may have skin bleeding spots, ecchymosis, gingival bleeding, and epistaxis; severe cases may manifest as organ bleeding: such as vomiting blood, melena, hematuria, and cerebral hemorrhage.

Causes

1. Decreased platelet production

(1) Hereditary anemia, such as Fanconi anemia, congenital amegakaryocytic thrombocytopenia, and May-Hegglin anomaly.

(2) Acquired aplastic anemia, bone marrow infiltration (malignant tumor bone marrow metastasis, leukemia, myelofibrosis, tuberculosis), chemotherapy drugs, radiation, megakaryocytic aplasia, viral infection (measles, mumps), drugs that affect platelet production (such as alcohol), vitamin B12 and folic acid deficiency.

2. Increased platelet destruction caused by non-immune factors

Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura, pregnancy, infection, hemangioma-thrombocytopenia syndrome, snake bites, acute respiratory distress syndrome, severe burns, etc.

3. Increased platelet destruction caused by immune factors

Immune thrombocytopenic purpura, HIV infection, cyclical thrombocytopenia, drug-induced thrombocytopenia (heparin, quinine, quinidine, antipyretic analgesics, penicillin, cephalosporin antibiotics, rifampicin, furosemide, carbamazepine, sodium valproate, sulfonylurea hypoglycemic drugs and phenytoin sodium, etc.), post-transfusion thrombocytopenia.

4. Abnormal platelet distribution

Hypersplenism and hypothermia.

5. Platelet loss

Bleeding, extracorporeal perfusion, hemodialysis.

6. Others

Pseudothrombocytopenia.

Clinical manifestations

1. Skin bleeding

Petechiae, purpura, ecchymosis.

2. Bleeding gums

Gingival bleeding is common in normal people and those with dental diseases. Therefore, repeated gingival bleeding or difficulty in stopping bleeding often indicates bleeding diseases such as thrombocytopenia.

3. Blood blisters on oral mucosa.

4. Nosebleed

Normal people may also experience epistaxis occasionally, but epistaxis combined with other bleeding symptoms often indicates a bleeding disease.

5. Joint bleeding, muscle and deep tissue hematoma

It is rare for simple thrombocytopenia to cause joint and muscle bleeding.

6. Gastrointestinal bleeding

It may manifest as vomiting blood, blood in the stool, black stool, etc.

7. Urinary tract bleeding

It may present as microscopic hematuria or gross hematuria.

8. Excessive menstrual bleeding.

9. Retinal hemorrhage.

10. Central nervous system hemorrhage