Blood platelets also known as thrombocytes play an important role in your body. These cell fragments are natural source of growth and play basic role in process of hemostasis (preventing bleeding from damaged blood vessel) as well. Normal platelet count in a micro litre of human blood is 150000 to 450000. Slight decrease in the platelet count does not contribute to the disease but when it is below 50,000 per micro litre, thrombocytopenia occurs. Low platelet count in dengue fever can be very dangerous. [Read: What is Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever?]
Some of the reasons for low platelet counts in dengue fever:
- Dengue virus, the main cause of dengue fever induces bone marrow suppression. Since bone marrow is the manufacturing centre of blood cells its suppression causes deficiency of blood cells leading to low platelet count. Anaemia and spontaneous severe bleeding are the other resultant factors of bone marrow suppression.
- Results of a study done by Wang et al. shows that dengue virus can even bind to platelets of human blood in the presence of virus-specific antibody. [Read: Genetics of Dengue Virus]
- When vascular endothelial cell that are infected with dengue virus gets combined with platelets they tend to destroy platelets. This is one of the major causes of low platelet count in dengue fever.
- Even the antiplatelet antibodies that are produced after infection of dengue virus can contribute in destruction of platelets, thus lowering the platelet count.[Read: Cause and Risks of Dengue Fever]
Low platelet count in dengue fever leads to life threatening condition i.e. hemorrhagic dengue fever that is categorised by spontaneous bleeding tendency and shock.
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