Causes of Altered Platelet Levels
| Decreased Levels (Thrombocytopenia) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Increased Levels (Thrombocytosis) | Decreased Production | Increased Destruction |
| Leukemias (chronic) | Vitamin B12/folic acid deficiencies | Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura |
| Polycythemia vera | Radiation | Splenomegaly caused by liver disease |
| Anemias (posthemorrhagic and iron-deficiency) | Viral infections | Lymphomas |
| Splenectomy | Leukemias (acute) | Hemolytic anemias |
| Tuberculosis and other acute infections | Histiocytosis | Rocky Mountain spotted fever |
| Hemorrhage | Bone marrow malignancies | Sarcoidosis |
| Carcinomatosis | Fanconi's syndrome | Meningococcemia |
| Trauma | Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome | Antibody/HLA-antigen reactions |
| Surgery | Uremia | Hemolytic disease of the newborn |
| Chronic heart disease Cirrhosis Chronic pancreatitis Childbirth | Drugs such as anticancer drugs, anticonvulsants, alcohol, carbamates, chloramphenicol, chlorothiazides, isoniazid, pyrazolones, streptomycin, sulfonamides, sulfonylureas | Congenital infections (cytomegalovirus [CMV], herpes, syphilis, toxoplasmosis) Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) |
| Drugs such as epinephrine | Immune complex formation - Chronic cor pulmonale - Miliary tuberculosis - Burns - Drugs and chemicals such as aspirin, benzenes, DDT, digitoxin, gold salts, heparin, quinidine, quinine, thiazides | |