In addition to white blood cells and red blood cells, our blood also has a group of cells called platelets. The abbreviation of these cells, also known as platelets and platelets, in blood analysis is known as PLT. Platelets produced in the bone marrow mix with the blood in case of an injury and go to the area where the wound is and heal it. Therefore, PLT in blood is often of vital importance.
Insufficient number of PLT ratio in the blood or more than sufficient number may also be a sign of different diseases. When the PLT value is not within the normal range, this situation is considered suspicious by your physician and an appropriate treatment method is followed after the causes are revealed. Let’s look at what PLT is, what it means low and high, its causes and symptoms in all details.
Firstly; What is PLT in blood, what does it do?
Like red blood cells and white blood cells, our blood also has a group of cells called platelets. Platelets and platelets, also called platelets, are indicated by the abbreviation PLT in blood analysis. In other words, the platelet rate in your blood is shown by the PLT value.
Platelets are produced in the bone marrow. When there is an injury in your body, these cells mix with the blood and go to the injured area. Thanks to the chemical reactions they create here, they provide narrowing of the vessel, healing of the wound and coagulation of the blood. They work to reduce blood flow by having a healing effect on damaged tissues.
Platelet PLT reference range: what should be the PLT value in the blood?
The PLT value, which shows the platelet rate in the blood, may vary from person to person and even from day to day. The PLT value shows the number of platelet cells in 1 milliliter of blood. The ideal PLT reference range, that is, its normal value, is between 150 thousand – 450 thousand cells / mL. This rate may vary in infants and adults.
What is low platelet PLT, what does it mean?
When your platelet PLT value measured in the blood test is less than 150 thousand cells / mL, this situation is called thrombocytopenia, that is, low PLT. Low PLT may occur in cases such as decreased platelet production, destruction of cells or dilution of blood.
What causes low platelet PLT? Here are the reasons:
- Acous diseases
- chronic diseases
- Pregnancy
- rheumatological diseases
- Blood transfusion
- some types of cancer
- A blood poisoning condition called sepsis
- Prolonged excessive use of alcohol
- Side effects of drugs used
- toxic substance poisoning
- Folic acid deficiency
- radiation exposure
- B12 deficiency
- Chemotherapy
- aplastic anemia
- Radiotherapy
- immunological diseases
- Bone marrow diseases
- viral infections
These are some of the conditions and diseases that cause low PLT, which is called thrombocytopenia, that is, the low rate of platelets in the blood. The low PLT caused by these conditions can sometimes be temporary, but it can be much longer when it occurs due to some diseases.
Symptoms of low platelet PLT:
- Bruising and redness that may look brown on different parts of the body
- Nose bleeding
- bleeding gums
- delayed healing of wounds
- Difficulty in blood clotting
- Different densities of blood in the urine
- bloody stool
- bloody vomiting
- Internal bleeding
Here are some of the symptoms seen in patients with low platelet PLT. Of course, not everyone will have these symptoms, but the lower your PLT value, one or more of these symptoms may occur in severe forms at the same time.
Treatment of low platelet PLT:
According to the results of the blood analysis, when your doctor sees low PLT, he first tries to find out what caused this situation. After determining the disease causing PLT low, a special treatment is followed. If a drug is causing this condition, it can be changed.
What is platelet PLT elevation, what does it mean?
When your platelet PLT value measured in the blood test is more than 450 thousand cells / mL, this situation is called thrombocytosis, that is, PLT elevation. This can occur due to an imbalance in platelet production or hormones. In case of high PLT, the tendency of blood to clot increases.
What causes platelet PLT elevation? Here are the reasons:
- Decreased amount of fluid in the blood
- Physiological increase in platelet production
- iron deficiency
- spleen problems
- Bone marrow tumors
- Different types of cancer
- Inflammatory bowel diseases
- The destruction of red blood cells, called hemolysis
- rheumatic diseases
- Side effects of drugs used
This is how some of the conditions and diseases that cause high PLT, which is called thrombocytosis, that is, an excess of platelet ratio in the blood. PLT elevation due to these conditions can sometimes be temporary, but it can be much longer when it occurs due to some diseases.
Symptoms of platelet PLT elevation:
- dizziness
- Headache
- chest pain
- visual disturbances
- hand swelling
- foot swelling
- Numbness
- spleen swelling
- Itching
- Heart attack
- Paralysis
Here are some of the symptoms seen in patients in the case of platelet PLT elevation. Of course, not everyone will have these symptoms, but the higher your PLT value, one or more of these symptoms may occur in severe forms at the same time.
Treatment of platelet PLT elevation:
According to the results of the blood test, when your doctor sees PLT elevation, he first tries to find out what caused this situation. After the disease causing PLT elevation is determined, a special treatment is followed. If a drug is causing this condition, it can be changed.
Is high or low platelet PLT a sign of cancer?
There are many different conditions and diseases that cause your PLT value, which shows the ratio of blood cell platelets, also known as platelets and platelets, to be low or high. Yes, there are some types of cancer among these, but not every low or high PLT is a sign of cancer.
Like all values checked in the blood test, your PLT value may have increased or decreased momentarily. Your doctor will check your PLT value along with many different values. If your doctor suspects the development of cancer, he can check the accuracy of this suspicion by requesting different tests. However, the PLT value is not a definite sign of cancer.
We answered the questions of what is PLT, which shows the rate of platelets in the blood that heals injuries in our body, and what does its low and high mean. What we describe is for informational purposes only. Remember that as with all health issues, you should get the most accurate and specific information about your PLT value from a specialist physician.