Can I take the pill if I have Werlhof’s disease?
Taking contraceptives, for example in the form of the pill, does not pose a risk in connection with Werlhof’s disease. The pill is a hormone treatment which, among other things, reduces the intensity of monthly menstruation. This reduced bleeding may even be beneficial for the course of Werlhof’s disease, as the body loses less blood overall. Especially if the intensity of the menstrual bleeding has increased due to Werlhof’s disease, the pill can be one of many methods of treatment.
I recognize Werlhof’s disease by these symptoms
Due to the lack of platelets, frequent, smaller bleedings occur. This is due to the fact that the blood platelets (thrombocytes) normally guarantee a fast coagulation of the blood, so that the bleeding can be stopped quickly. This can no longer be guaranteed if the thrombocytes are deficient.
This results in so-called petechiae. Petechiae are very small bleedings, for example the size of a pinhead. They are often found in one or more places.
Often the petechiae are not recognized correctly at first sight, but are seen as simple discolorations of the skin. In addition to the very small petechiae, small to very large bruises (haematomas) can also occur. In general, the affected person tends to suddenly and quickly appearing hematomas. In addition, wounds obviously heal less well than in non-affected persons. Other signs of Werlhof’s disease can be blood in the urine, blood in the stool, bleeding from the vagina in the form of increased menstrual bleeding, reddened eyes or vomiting blood.
Diagnosis of Werlhof’s disease
The first signs of Werlhof’s disease are punctiform skin bleedings, so-called petechiae.They are usually clearly visible on the skin surface. If the petechiae mentioned above occur, they are usually followed by the loss of blood. This can lead to the diagnosis of Werlhof’s disease.
If there are less than 100,000 thrombocytes in the blood, this is a clear indication that the blood formation is not proceeding properly. In the following, the spleen can be examined using ultrasound. Werlhof’s disease results in an acute or chronic enlargement of the spleen.
The reason for this is that the thrombocytes are largely broken down in the spleen. If both of these tests indicate Werlhof’s disease, a bone marrow puncture can be performed subsequently. The bone marrow can be used to examine whether there has been an increased megakaryopoiesis, i.e. an increased number of young blood-forming cells. This case would also indicate Werlhof’s disease.
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