Platelets are a part of the blood whose main job is to stop bleeding by clumping together and plugging up injuries to blood vessels, such as from a cut. Excessive bleeding that starts without any known cause and does not stop in a normal amount of time may indicate that something is wrong with the body’s platelets.
What Are the Signs & Symptoms of Platelets Disorder?
A child with a platelet count that is only a little low may not have any symptoms. But if the count drops low enough, a child might have one or more of these problems:
- easy bruising
- bleeding gums
- bleeding from minor wounds or nosebleeds that's hard to stop
- small red or purple spots on the skin called petechiae (peh-TEE-kee-eye)
- purple spots that look like bruises called purpura (PURR-pyur-ah)
- blood in vomit, urine (pee), or stool (poop)
How Is Platelets Disorder Treated?
The treatment for Platelets Disorder depends on:
- what's causing it
- how low the platelet count is
- whether or not there is bleeding
