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Platelet count - Results

Alternative Names

Thrombocyte count

Normal Values:

150,000 to 400,000 platelets per microliter (mcL)

Note: Normal value ranges may vary slightly among different laboratories. Talk to your doctor about the meaning of your specific test results.

What abnormal results mean:

If the number of platelets is below normal (thrombocytopenia), the cause may be:

Cancer chemotherapy
Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC)
Hemolytic anemia
Hypersplenism
Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP)
Leukemia
Massive blood transfusion
Prosthetic heart valve

If the number is higher than normal (thrombocytosis), the cause may be:

Anemia
Certain types of cancer
Early chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML)
Polycythemia vera
Primary thrombocytosis
Recent spleen removal

Reviewed last on: 2/21/2009
David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

References

McMillan R. Hemorrhagic disorders: Abnormalities of platelet and vascular function. In: Goldman L, Ausiello D, eds. Cecil Medicine. 23rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2007:chap 179.

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