How to increase platelets – Trends24US

How to increase platelets

Thrombocytopenia and ITP

If you have thrombocytopenia, you don’t have enough platelets in your blood. Platelets help blood clot, which stops bleeding.

For most people, this is no big deal. However, if it is severe, it can cause spontaneous bleeding into the eyes, gums, or bladder, or profuse bleeding when injured.

A healthy person’s platelet count is usually between 150,000 and 400,000. If your count falls below 150,000, you have thrombocytopenia.

If you’re wondering what the long name means, it breaks down like this: “platelets” are your platelets, and “penia” means you don’t have enough. Put these conditions together and you get “thrombocytopenia.”

Reasons

Thrombocytopenia has many causes. One of the most common causes of low platelets is a condition called immune thrombocytopenia (ITP). You may hear it with the older name idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura. Although doctors don’t know what causes primary ITP, they do know that it happens when your immune system, your body’s main defense against disease, isn’t working properly. Your antibodies that are supposed to fight infection mistakenly destroy your platelets.

Thrombocytopenia can run in families, but it can also be caused by many medical conditions. Treating the medical condition can improve ITP.

Secondary ITP occurs when ITP is associated with another condition such as:

• Viral infections (including chickenpox, parvovirus, hepatitis C, Epstein-Barr and HIV)
• Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)
• Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)
• Drug-induced immune thrombocytopenia
• Sepsis, a serious bacterial infection in the blood
• Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), a bacterium that can live in your digestive tract Medications related to ITP

Certain medications can increase your risk of ITP, such as:

• Certain medications for heart problems, seizures, and infections
• Heparin, an anticoagulant used to prevent blood clotting.
• Work with your doctor to determine if a medication is causing your platelet count to drop. hey may adjust your dose or change your medicine.

Other treatments associated with ITP

• Heart bypass surgery
• Radiation therapy to your bone marrow

Symptoms

Thrombocytopenia usually has no symptoms. But when you have them, they may include:

• Bleeding, mostly from the gums or nose. Women with thrombocytopenia may have heavier or longer periods, or have spotty bleeding. You may also see blood in your urine or stool.
• Spots and bruises. You may have large areas of bleeding under your skin that do not turn white when stepped on. You can also see what it feels like when you get hit or hurt. They can be blue or purple and turn yellow or green over time. They are caused by the sudden leakage of small blood vessels inside. Their medical name is purpura.
• Red, flat spots about the size of a pinhead on the skin. You’ll mostly see them on the legs and feet, and they can appear in groups. Your doctor may call them petechiae. Petechiae are not yellow when you step on them.
• Life-threatening gastrointestinal bleeding or internal bleeding. This is because the platelet count is below 20K, which can lead to sudden bleeding, including cerebral hemorrhage.
• Hemorrhagic cerebrovascular accident (CVA) with high morbidity and mortality. It is also caused by a platelet count below 20K, which can cause sudden bleeding.

Severe thrombocytopenia can cause heavy bleeding after an injury, such as a fall.

Get an evaluation

Thrombocytopenia is usually found incidentally when your doctor performs a routine blood test. They may ask you:

• What symptoms (including bleeding) did you experience?
• When did you first see them?
• Is there anything that makes them better? Or worse?
• What medications and supplements are you taking?
• Have you had an injection in the past month, had a blood transfusion, or used an injection drug?
• Does anyone in your family have immune system problems, bleeding or ulcers?
• What have you eaten recently?

Your doctor may do a physical exam to check for signs of bleeding and to feel if your spleen is enlarged.

Some tests check for low platelet levels:

• CBC (Complete Blood Count). It measures the number of red and white blood cells and platelets.
• Blood spots are how your platelets look under a microscope.
• Bone marrow test. Your doctor uses a very fine needle to remove a small amount of liquid bone marrow to check for cells that aren’t working properly. Or you may have a biopsy with a different type of needle so your doctor can check the type and number of cells in your bone marrow.
  You may need more tests to help your doctor understand what’s going on.

Questions for your doctor

• What is the cause of the problem?
• What are my treatment options? Which would you recommend?
• Are there side effects of these treatments? What can I do with them?
• How will we know if the treatment is working?
• When will I start feeling better?
• What are you waiting for my case?
• Does this put me at risk for anything else?
• Do I need to see a specialist?
• How do I track?
• How do I know if my platelets are low at home?
• Treatment
• There are many treatment options for thrombocytopenia and ITP. You’ll need to work with
• your doctor to weigh the pros and cons of each and find a therapy that’s right for you.

If you have ITP, your treatment depends on how severe your condition is. If it’s mild, you may need to check your platelet levels regularly.

When you need treatment, the goal is to get your platelet count high enough to prevent severe bleeding in the gut or brain.

A platelet transfusion is needed if there is immediate life-threatening bleeding, if you are asymptomatic or pregnant with a platelet count below 20,000 because the risk of bleeding is high.

Some people are treated when they develop symptoms, and others are offered treatment even when they feel well because they are at high risk for sudden bleeding.

Your doctor will likely recommend these ITP treatments first:

Corticosteroids. Dexamethasone or prednisone is usually prescribed to increase the platelet count. You take it once a day in tablet or pill form. An increase or normalization of the platelet count is usually observed within 2 weeks of treatment, especially with high doses of dexamethasone. Your doctor will likely gradually reduce your dose over the next 4 to 8 weeks. Treatment may need to be repeated, but you do not need to repeat it once your platelet count has returned to normal.

Prednisone has some side effects, especially when you use it for a long time. Even after a while, you may have irritability, nausea, and other problems, such as:

• Sleep problem
• Weight gain
• Swollen cheeks
• A lot of urine
• Low bone density
• Acne

Aside from the side effects, another disadvantage of prednisone is that your platelet count may drop after you finish your treatment.

IVIG (intravenous immunoglobulin). If you are unable to raise your platelet count with prednisone, if you cannot tolerate steroids, or if your count drops after you finish treatment, your doctor may prescribe IVIG. Is. You take this medicine intravenously, usually over a few hours a day for 1 to 5 days.

The advantage of IVIG is that it can increase your platelet count faster. However, the increase in platelets is only temporary. It is useful for people who need to increase their levels quickly or cannot tolerate steroids. Side effects include:

• Nausea and vomiting
• Headache
• Fever and chills

Surgery. If you have ITP and other treatments don’t raise your platelet levels enough, you may benefit from surgery to remove your spleen. This is the organ that destroys platelets, so removing it can increase your platelet count. However, this doesn’t always work.

Removing your spleen can make it harder for you to fight off infections. Your risk of infection is highest in the first 3 months after your surgery.

Rituximab (Rituxan). This medicine is a type of treatment called biologic therapy. It attacks B cells, a type of white blood cell that can destroy platelets. It is sometimes used if you have severe ITP despite treatment with steroids and are unable to have surgery to remove your spleen. If your platelet count is still low after having your spleen removed, your doctor may recommend it.

Side effects of Rituximab include:

• Fever
• Trembling
• weakness
• Nausea
• Headache
• Weak immune system

Rho (D) immunoglobulin. This intravenous treatment is an alternative to traditional IVIG for people with Rh+ blood. It usually takes less than half an hour. Side effects are similar to IVIG.

If corticosteroids, IVIG, and Rho(D) don’t improve your platelet count and you have bleeding problems, your doctor may move on to another set of options. Each has its advantages and disadvantages. These include:

Thrombopoietin (TPO) receptor agonists. These drugs are also called platelet growth factors. If your platelets are severely low, even after steroid therapy, surgery to remove your spleen, or rituximab, you may do well with these drugs, but you may need to take them long-term. can fall

A TPO drug may also be used in a person who needs a temporary increase in platelet count, such as during an acute bleeding event, in preparation for elective surgery, or when deciding to have a splenectomy. While planning or waiting.

Three TPO medications are available and include: avatrombopag (Doptelet), eltrombopag (Promacta), and romiplostim (Nplate).

Eltrombopag is a once-daily pill, romiplostim is once weekly, and avatrombopag (Doptelet) is taken once daily, then the dose is adjusted according to your platelet count.

They get your bone marrow to make more platelets. Side effects include nausea, vomiting, headache, and an increased chance of blood clots.

If you’ve tried these and still can’t get your platelet count to the right level, your doctor may recommend the following:

A new drug called fostamatinib (Tavalisse), a spleen tyrosine kinase inhibitor, is designed to treat thrombocytopenia in adults with chronic ITP that has not improved with other treatments. The starting dose is one tablet twice a day.

Immunosuppressants such as azathioprine (Imuran), cyclosporine, and mycophenolate mofetil (CellCept). They work by keeping your immune system in check.

Androgens such as danazol (Danocrine). It is not used in women because it can cause unwanted hair growth called hirsutism.

Vinca alkaloids such as vinblastine, vincristine (Vincasar), and rarely cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan). Doctors sometimes recommend them if you have heavy bleeding and your platelet count doesn’t improve with other treatments.

Take care of yourself
You can still do a lot, but you may need to make some lifestyle changes to avoid harming or injuring yourself. For example, avoid sports like soccer and downhill skiing.

Eat a healthy diet that includes plenty of fruits and vegetables, especially leafy greens, to give your body the nutrients it needs. Ask your doctor if you should avoid foods containing quinine and aspartame, such as tonic water, bitter lemon, bitter melon, some diet sodas, and sugar-free foods.

You probably shouldn’t take medications that make bleeding easier, such as aspirin and ibuprofen, or other NSAIDs such as naproxen or Elveo.

Check with your doctor to find out if drinking alcohol is okay for you and if so, how much.

What can you expect?
You may have a case.