Abstract
One to two percent of pregnant women will have thrombocytopenia. The most common cause is gestational thrombocytopenia which has a benign clinical course. However, there are many serious causes of thrombocytopenia such as immune thrombocytopenia (ITP), thrombotic thrombocytopenia purpura (TTP), and pregnancy complications such as HELLP syndrome. Diagnosis involves careful history taking and laboratory testing. Therapy depends on the etiology—gestation thrombocytopenia requires no therapy, ITP may require treatment to raise the platelet count, and some syndromes such as HELLP require early delivery. Platelet transfusions may be required for C-sections and placement of epidural catheters.
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Further Reading
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DeLoughery, T.G. (2018). Thrombocytopenia in Pregnancy. In: Nester, T. (eds) Transfusion Management of the Obstetrical Patient. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-77140-3_8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-77140-3_8
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