blood disorders
Overview of Platelet Disorders
Symptoms of Platelet Disorders
Alow platelet countandplatelet dysfunctionoften cause bleeding in the skin as the first sign. Many tiny red dots (petechiae) often appear in the skin on the lower legs, and minor injuries (including needlesticks) may cause black-and-blue bruises (ecchymoses or purpura). The gums may bleed, and blood may appear in the stool or urine. Menstrual periods or nosebleeds may be unusually heavy. The lower the platelet count, the more severe the symptoms. People who have very few platelets may lose large amounts of blood into their digestive tract or may develop life-threatening bleeding in their brain even though they have not been injured. Once bleeding starts, it can be hard to stop. Ecchymoses are large purple bruises seen here on the leg. DR P. MARAZZI/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY Petechiae are small red, purple, or brown spots as seen here in the skin. By permission of the publisher. From Deitcher S. InAtlas of Clinical Hematology. Edited by JO Armitage. Philadelphia, Current Medicine, 2004. Petechiae are small red spots as seen here in the mouth. DR P. MARAZZI/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY may have the same signs of bleeding as people with too few platelets because a very high number of platelets can absorb enough of an important Blood clotting factors (a protein found in blood that works with platelets to help the blood clot ) to cause bleeding. However, some people instead have symptoms caused by abnormal blood clots. For example, people may have a swollen leg due to a 