Why would my platelets be low?
Platelets dip with viral infections, alcohol, some medicines, liver disease, pregnancy and immune conditions. Lab clumping artifacts can also fake a low count. A repeat test exposes that.
Mildly low and stable often just gets watched. The count matters most below 50, and spontaneous bruising, gum or nose bleeding, or pinpoint red spots on the legs make any low count urgent.
Bring your medication and supplement list to the follow-up; the cause frequently sits there. This is a finding to track with a doctor, not to research into panic at midnight.
Source: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, thrombocytopenia
See a doctor promptly if
- Hemoglobin well below the normal range with breathlessness, chest pain, or dizziness on standing
- Potassium below 3.0 mmol/L or above 6.0 mmol/L. This needs same-day contact, not a routine appointment
- A sudden large rise in creatinine, or a new drop in eGFR, especially with reduced urine output
- Liver enzymes several times the upper limit with yellow eyes, dark urine, pale stools, or right upper abdominal pain
- Platelets under 50 x10^9/L, or a very high or very low white cell count with fever
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Answered by the AskDoc Medical Team · Medically reviewed under our Medical Director, MBBS · How we review
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