At what point does it become dangerous? | Platelets too high

At what point does it become dangerous?

Platelets have the task of clumping together in the blood in case of injury, sealing the vessel wall and thus stopping the bleeding. If there are too few thrombocytes, there is a risk of bleeding; if there are too many thrombocytes, clumping occurs, i.e. blood clots or thromboses. However, a significantly increased risk of blood clots only exists if the thrombocyte count exceeds 800. 000 thrombocytes/μl. Platelets rarely rise that high, however.

I can tell by these symptoms that I am ill

Usually too many thrombocytes do not make themselves felt. Those affected therefore do not have typical symptoms. Only when the thrombocytes are very much elevated do symptoms appear.

These symptoms include microcirculation disorders or blood clots (thrombosis). Depending on the cause, further symptoms may occur. In essential thrombocythemia, bleeding is another common symptom.

Thrombosis

Colloquially, thrombosis is a blood clot. The blood clot consists of clumped thrombocytes that have been erroneously activated and then block a blood vessel. Thromboses in the legs are particularly common.

This leads to swelling and dull pain. In addition, there is a feeling of heaviness in the legs and overheating. The most dangerous is a blockage of a pulmonary vein.

In this case one speaks of a pulmonary embolism. This can be fatal. Are you unsure whether you have a thrombosis?

Therapy

If the thrombocytosis is caused by another disease, treatment of the underlying disease must be carried out first. If there is an increased risk of thrombosis, it is advisable to keep the risk low initially by general measures. This can be done by : If this is not sufficient, blood-thinning agents must be used.

In essential thrombocythemia, ASA (aspirin) is often used, provided there is no increased risk of bleeding. ASA is an antiplatelet aggregation medication. These inhibit the clumping of blood platelets. Do you want to keep your risk of thrombosis as low as possible?

  • Not smoking,
  • Cardiovascular diseases effectively treated,
  • Leading a good lifestyle with a healthy diet and lots of exercise.
  • You want to keep your risk of thrombosis as low as possible?

Read next article in this series:

All articles in this series:

  1. Platelets too high
  2. Possible consequences
  3. At what point does it become dangerous?
  4. Duration
  5. Too high thrombocytes during pregnancy – I should pay attention to this