One of the most important diagnostic procedures is a general blood test. It allows you to identify many different disorders in the body, including pathology, inflammatory processes and hematopoiesis, as well as evaluate the health of a person as a whole. The analysis determines the level of blood levels of hemoglobin, red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. Based on the results obtained, by comparing them with the norms of these indicators, conclusions are drawn about the presence in a person of certain violations in the work of organs. Of particular importance is the determination of the level of PLT in a blood test. What it is and what role it plays in the health of the body, we will find out in this article.
PLT: decryption and meaning
Platelet count is one of the main indicators that pay attention when a blood test is performed. Deciphering PLT is Platelets, or those same platelets. They are plates without a nucleus, are an integral part of the blood (its cells) and are produced in the bone marrow. Why are they needed?
Platelets play a crucial role in the blood coagulation system , a violation of which is fraught with dangerous bleeding. Also, these elements regenerate damaged tissues and nourish the vessels. Therefore, maintaining a normal level of platelets in the blood is crucial for human health and life. At the same time, both their increase and decrease can be dangerous.
Determination of the level of PLT
In order to know the platelet count, the PLT value in the blood test is estimated. No special training for the study is required. Blood is taken from a vein, and the analysis itself is done on an empty stomach. The main requirements here are accuracy and sterility.
What should be the level of PLT in a blood test? The norm is from 180 to 320 thousand / ml. Anything outside this range is considered a deviation. A decrease in platelet count to 140 thousand / ml and below is called thrombocytopenia, and an increase to 400 thousand / ml or more is called thrombocytosis. What are the consequences of such changes? We will talk about this later.
PLT reduction
What will a blood test tell us? The decoding of PLT is as follows: if the platelet level is below 140 thousand / ml, this indicates a violation of blood coagulability, a decrease in the level of thyroid hormones or leukocytes. In addition, a low level of PLT can indicate the presence of infectious diseases, anemia, uremia, etc.
A value of about 30 thousand / ml is considered critical. In this case, a high probability of dangerous bleeding. Similar situations are observed in a number of diseases, for example, radiation sickness, aplastic anemia or Addison-Birmer anemia, Verlhof disease. Important! A similar phenomenon is often observed in women. During the menstrual cycle, a decrease in platelet count to 30-50 thousand / ml is quite acceptable and does not carry any danger.
Increase PLT Level
If it turned out that the PLT in the blood test was increased to 400 thousand / ml or more, then there may be several reasons. The first is an increase in the number of platelets in the bone marrow, the second is a decrease in the intensity of their decay. Thrombocytosis is often observed in patients with malignant tumors or chronic inflammatory processes, as well as in the case of erythremia and myeloid leukemia. Removal of the spleen and large blood loss can also lead to a significant increase in platelet count.
Other diseases that are often accompanied by an increase in the level of PLT in a blood test are iron deficiency anemia, burn disease, or hemorrhagic vasculitis.
PLT: a blood test in children
In children, the platelet count depends primarily on age. Affects the obtained indicators and blood sampling technique. So, for newborns, values in the range from 100 to 420 thousand / ml are considered normal. In children younger than a year - from 150 to 350 thousand / ml, older - from 180 to 320 thousand / ml.
What may be associated with an increase or decrease in platelet count in childhood? Doctors usually pay attention if the level of PLT falls below 150 thousand / ml, which indicates thrombocytopenia. It can be caused by allergic reactions to medications (if they are prescribed to the baby), intoxication, infectious or any skin diseases. Also, platelet count falls under the influence of a variety of viruses and parasites, with rubella and malaria. If the child received blood transfusions containing a reduced platelet count, this also causes a low PLT.
In this case, it is important to observe a number of mandatory rules that will help prevent possible bleeding in the baby. So, you should in every way protect him from injuries (remove cutting and piercing objects), pick up a soft toothbrush (hard bristles can lead to injuries). In order to prevent intestinal injuries, the use of laxatives may be necessary.
An excessively high level of PLT is considered an indicator of more than 420 thousand / ml. This indicates thrombocytosis. Distinguish between primary and secondary species. The reasons for the first are, as a rule, abnormalities in the development of bone marrow stem cells. In the second case, we are talking about some kind of pathological process (the structure, form of platelets are violated). What is the reason for this? There are many reasons, they are determined by conducting a more thorough medical examination of the child. The most common include:
- lack of a spleen;
- lung infection
- colitis;
- anemia;
- blood loss;
- operation;
- taking medications.
In some cases, hospitalization of the child may be required.
Conclusion
As it turned out, platelets play a huge role in the normal functioning of our body. Determining the level of PLT in a blood test is of great importance in identifying a wide variety of diseases and allows you to control the number of these cells. Of particular importance is this indicator in children. Its norm depends on the age of the baby, and deviations may indicate the presence of allergic reactions, infections and a number of other extremely serious diseases. Knowing and controlling the level of PLT is necessary to maintain your health and that of your children.