What would be the expected laboratory results in a patient with thrombocytopenia?
A)Platelet counts

Question

What would be the expected laboratory results in a patient with thrombocytopenia?
A)Platelet counts <50 × 10⁹/L
B)Normal bleeding time
C)Abnormally prolonged PT and APTT
D)Decreased fibrinogen

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Thrombocytopenia is defined as a platelet count <150 × 10⁹/L, and severe thrombocytopenia is defined as a platelet count <50 × 10⁹/L. Therefore, a patient with thrombocytopenia would be expected to have platelet counts <50 × 10⁹/L.

Answer: B
 Bleeding time is a measure of platelet function, rather than platelet count. It is often normal in patients with thrombocytopenia, as they may have enough functional platelets to prevent bleeding.

Answer: C
 Thrombocytopenia does not affect the clotting factors, so PT and APTT would be normal or near-normal in these patients.

Answer: D
 Fibrinogen is not directly affected by thrombocytopenia, so it would be expected to be normal in these patients.

What Would Be the Expected Laboratory Results in a Patient