Fluctuating platelet count ??

Gee, it all depends. I am not sure there is a clinical significance, especially since you say it was not low enough to delay your procedure. A good question to ask your doctor. But, I suspect that this is a case of testing alarm. Sometimes you can vary out of "normal" range without it meaning anything. They have to set normal ranges for reference, but it is the clinical correlation that matters.

Jan

Hey Jan, I read that autoimmune disorders could cause low platelet counts. Back in 2011 my GP ran full blood panel and my ANA was positive and speckled which was High likeliness of SLE. I went to a rheumotologist for follow up and they retested me and my ANA was negative. All other tests for lupus was negative and didnt really have any other symptoms except joint pain and some fatigue but i hear that could be caused from the UC. Now I'm wondering if the low platelets could be caused from my autoimmune issues and now i'm wondering if maybe I do have SLE?? My colorectal surgeon and GI, Dr Shen, have never asked or had me inquire about my fuctuating platelet count. Normal range is between 150-400 and mine is 120 right now..it has been up and down. Should I go see a rheumotologist again or should I see a Hematologist and get my bloodwork done again?? Or just not worry about it?

You've got plenty on your plate right now, so unless you had other symptoms of SLE, I'd put it on the back burner for the time being. Maybe get another CBC in a few months as a follow up. One of the problems of folks like us who have frequent monitoring is that we are made aware of incidental findings that likely have no clinical import (happens to me too). If all your other blood counts are good, I don't see the need for in depth investigations and would just assume it was a red herring at this point. But, if you were to start bruising and bleeding, that is another story.

 

On the other hand, if you are not going to rest until you get more information, ask for a consult with a rheumatologist (most appropriate if you are wanting to rule out SLE) or hematologist.

 

What do your doctors say about it?

 

SLE is a tough diagnosis to nail down and while suggestive, a positive ANA is not diagnostic.

 

Jan

I emailed my colorectal surgeon what his opinion was, have not heard back yet. I will ask Shen next time I go see him for the jpouch hole potential fix in a few months. My urologist doesnt seem very concerned.He emailed me back today and said its not nearly low enough to stop the kidney cryoablation but I may want to follow up with a Hematologist at some point.But stated that yes, autoimmune issues could for sure cause a low platelet count.

I do know that inflammation often causes a *higher* than normal platelet count. Daughter had Kawasaki's disease, and last documented PLC was in the 800,000 range at that time before it normalized after IVIG. 

In ER this weekend for at first was thought to be partial obstruction. My bag was filling up non stop and i was vomitting horribly for several hours. No distention or sore abdomen. Ended up chalking it up to either food poisoning or stomach bug.. 3 bags of fluid , pain meds and Zofran and i was out 6 hours later. Still feeling a bit nauseas but not vomitting any more.

 

on a different note, my platelet count was 194...NORMAL AGAIN..LOL

Sorry about your gut bug, but glad to know your platetes are back up and it was just a blip.

 

jan

Went to hematologist today and he was not sure why i was there? lol.. He stated that platelet counts can indeed fluctuate with autoimmunity,surgeries,inflammations,and medications. He said mine have fluctuated from barely on the low end of normal to the normal range and hes not concerned at all. If counts are consistantly low then we might have an issue. Hes now my favorite doctor!! first doc in a long time i have seen that was not concerned about me and had bad news for me..

For what it's worth, my medical facility's lab uses 140,000 as the lower cutoff for a normal platelet count, so 120,000 would look a little closer to normal here

I have an autoimmune condition that causes low platelets called ITP (which originally stood for idiopathic thrombocytopenia purpura, now some doctors call it immune-mediated thrombocytopenia) which is rare, but more common in people with other autoimmune diseases. My platelets usually hang out around 90,000 but tend to tank when I get sick and have been as low as 50,000.  What I can tell you from what I've learned is that 100,000+ platelets is still plenty, and should not cause any symptoms or additional bleeding.

Oops... I hit submit before I was done and can't figure out how to edit in my phone.

It's definitely worth watching your platelet counts. For me, I had normal counts with an occasional concerning count (like 70,000) for years, then went two years with all low counts (50-90,000) before being referred to a hematologist and getting a diagnosis. With ITP, they do not treat it unless you are below 50,000 or sometimes as low as 30,000 if counts remain stable. I have never had to be treated except before delivering my daughter and even that was just a 10 day round of prednisone.

I hope this helps. Good luck to you.