Immune Thrombocytopenic Purpura (IPT)

Ranging from a black eye to a huge bruise in my inner thigh, these bruises appeared everywhere and seemingly for no reason at all. I mean I hadn’t been hit in these spots so I had no idea what was wrong. After a week of putting it off, my mom drove me to the hospital. “Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura” the doctor explained, after doing more than a couple blood samples. ITP is a blood disease that causes low levels of blood platelets. Platelets are cells in the blood that cause your blood to clot. The platelet count in my blood had fallen below 10,000; this of course meant nothing to me. Although after he explained that a healthy human holds around 300,000 platelets in their blood at any given time, I knew I was in for a long ride. I spent three weeks in the hospital, and it was horrible. Having an ITP out break is comparable to having an extreme case of Mono. A person infected with ITP is constantly tired and constantly sick. ITP magnifies any other sickness that the body would typically fight off. Eventually I was released from the hospital, but the damage had been done I had missed too much school and the Fall semester of 2014 was

People may not know they have hemochromatosis since in the early stages they may not have any symptoms. In this stage, the only way the disorder can be detected is through routine blood tests and the doctor noticing elevated iron levels in the blood. Usually, the first and most common symptoms of hemochromatosis is joint pain and fatigue, but these are symptoms which occur in several other diseases and disorders, so the diagnosis is frequently held up or even overlooked. “Pain in the knuckles of the pointer and middle finger, collectively called ‘The Iron Fist,’ is the only sign or symptom specific to hemochromatosis. However, not everyone with HHC experiences the Iron Fist” (“WHAT IS HEMOCHROMATOSIS?” n.d.).

The liver becomes so diseased and damaged that it can no longer produce appropriate amounts of clotting factor and hormones to make platelets. “Vitamin K must be present in order for the liver to synthesize some of the clotting factors, including prothrombin, interleukin-6, multi-CSF, and fibrinogen.” p 664 If the blood is unable to clot then the patient will continue to bleed to the point that a liver transplant is necessary. Prothrombin a peptide hormone produced in the kidneys that accelerates platelet formation. Interleukin-6 is a hormone that stimulates platelet formation. Multi-CSF is a hormone that stimulates platelet production by promoting the formation and growth of megakaryocytes. p.660 If all of these hormones are

After a night out with friends, 31-year-old Thea Wilson woke up to find her arms and legs covered in large bruises. But what was more concerning was the fact that Wilson did not remember falling or injuring herself the night before. After the bruises did not go away, Wilson scheduled a doctors appointment. She was initially diagnosed with platelet disorder, but doctors soon determined that her condition was much more severe.

In Cardone presentation, His main focus was on Platelet-rich plasma (PRP), (plasmas that come from the patient’s body, and is centrifuged to increase the concentration of platelets combined with remaining blood). He also discussed the potential advantages as well as potential drawbacks and uncertainties regarding the use of PRP injections to treat

Severe symptoms only happen if hemochromatosis is not found and treated early. The most common complaint of this disease is joint pain, which is the least of their worries considering they caught it early. Although

low platelet count and low white blood cell count. In reference to Mr. J.’s symptoms and CBC results additional diagnostic labs were ordered.

Purpura simplex is a blood disorder that causes easy bruising (Mulvihill et al., 2006). The reason for this disease is unknown and is thought to be hereditary (Mulvihill et al., 2006). Two test are used to determine if a person has purpura simplex, a platelet test and a blood clotting test (WrongDiagnosis, 2010). The treatment that is usually prescribed to patients with purpura simplex is bed rest and avoid anything with aspirin (WrongDiagnosis, 2010).

Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, is the disease that affects children the most and because of the abnormal cells that are immature white blood cells which cannot help the body fight infections cause children with the disease to often get infections and have fevers (National Cancer Institute, 2002, p. 1). The symptoms that the patient with ALL may have depend on the number of abnormal cells of the patient where exactly the cells collect. Children patients with ALL have low amounts of healthy red blood cells and platelets, which cause less oxygen to be carried through the body because of the lack of red blood cells. Patients at times may look pale, feel weak, and tired causing bleeding and bruising very easily because of their lack of enough platelets. This condition is called anemia. Anemia is very much common in patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Fever, fatigue, bone or joint pain, tiny red spots under the skin called petechiae are a couple of symptoms that the disease ALL has. Headaches with, or without vomiting also may occur if patient happens to have abnormal cells collecting in the brain or spinal cord (National Cancer Institute, 2002 para. 2).

I was diagnosed with Henoch-Schonlein purpura (HSP) when I was five years old. This is a rare disease that occurs mostly in children around the ages of two to six years old. The disease causes bleeding in your joints, the small vessels under your skin, your intestines, and your kidneys, leading to bruising and other issues. When this disease makes it to your kidneys, the results can be disastrous and require medical treatment, but if caught in time, the disease will rarely leave the patient with any serious kidney damage. Its progression is rapid. Overnight, my body began to bruise as if someone had beaten me. Every joint in my wrists, ankles, hips, shoulders, even my toes and fingers, began to bruise and became swollen. I had bruises all over

A person with a normal platelet count has between 150,000 to 450,000 per each microliter of blood in the body. With Thrombocytopenia, patients have platelet counts that are less than 150,000 per microliter of blood. Platelets help to promote blood clotting. When a person receives a cut, or injures themselves, platelets come to the site of injury and bind to damaged vessel, thus causing a blood clot and helping to stop the bleeding that accompanies the injury (Williams). However, with a reduced platelet count, this function can be impaired. Patients can easily bruise or bleed due to even a slight bump, as well as experience nosebleeds. Bleeding gums are another symptom of Thrombocytopenia (MDS Foundation). Based on symptoms, doctors might decide to test a patient for Myelodysplastic

Unexplained bruises in well-protected areas of the body for example on the inside of thighs or upper arms etc.

Having unexplained bruising in unusual parts of the body, such as having bruises around an eye or marks

Platelets are not really cells in a way. As Marieb (2012) mentions,” They are fragments of bizarre multinucleate cells called megakaryocytes (meg″ah-kar′e-o-sītz), which pinch off thousands of anucleate platelet “pieces” that quickly seal themselves off from the surrounding fluids” (p. 344) The liver helps produce blood clotting factors. If it is not in working order then the person is not able to stop bleeding as easily as someone who has a properly working liver. There is a correction to help produce the proper amount of blood clotting factors and that is to take Vitamin K.

Usually the decrease in the number of platelets results in bleeding inside the brain, bloody diarrhea, mucosal (inside mouth) bleeding, bruises, life-threatening bleedings, red spots on skin, and purplish skin due to bleeding underneath the skin.