Thrombocytopenia in pregnancy: causes, effects, treatment

Thrombocytopenia in pregnancy is diagnosed in 7% of women and develops most often in the last trimester. The mechanism of the emergence of this pathology to the end has not been studied. In 70% of cases, this condition is associated with changes in the body that occur after conception.

General information

Thrombocytopenia is a blood disease characterized by a low level of platelets (formed from giant cells of red bone marrow). What is the role of these cells? If a wound forms in the body, a large number of platelets rushes to it to "seal" it. Then there are changes in the plates themselves and the aggregation of new cells instead of those previously used to close the wound. In this disease, platelets are either rapidly destroyed, or synthesized in small amounts.

In the body of a healthy woman in the absence of pregnancy, the number of these cells varies from 200 to 300x10 ⁹ / l. The period of their life does not exceed seven days, then there is utilization in the liver or spleen. If the number of these cells is significantly reduced, a woman is diagnosed with thrombocytopenia in pregnancy (norm 150x10 ⁹ / L for a lady in position). Doctors sound alarm when this figure is below 140x10 ⁹ / liter.

The main function of platelets - participation in blood clotting - an important protective reaction of the body. In addition, these small cells contribute to the nutrition of the inner shell of the artery, thus ensuring its elasticity and resistance to various external injuries.

Women in the situation often enough face this pathology. However, it does not always carry a danger to the fetus and has negative consequences.

Main reasons

Thrombocytopenia in pregnancy is a relatively common phenomenon. It can develop for many reasons:

• Changes at the hormonal level.
• Increase in the volume of circulating blood.
• Nephropathy.
• Inadequate nutrition and vitamin B12 deficiency.
• Infections of viral nature.
• Allergic reactions and systemic ailments.
• Intrauterine fetal death.
• Detachment of the placenta.
• Acceptance of certain groups of drugs.

A sharp decrease in the number of platelets may have a physiological nature, that is, be insignificant (at least 140x10 ⁹ / L). As a rule, such a condition does not differ with obvious symptoms and is detected only during routine examination. In this case, treatment is not required, but continuous monitoring of the tests is necessary. With a pathological variant of the disease, the doctor must first establish the cause of the pathology and immediately prescribe the treatment. Otherwise, the risk of developing quite dangerous complications increases.

Clinical picture

Thrombocytopenia during pregnancy is characterized by a more vivid and varied description of symptoms than in other patients. For women, the situation is characterized by:

• The appearance of small bruises on the skin after touch.
• Bleeding from the uterus.
• Nasal and gingival hemorrhages. This symptom can not be called specific, as many pregnant women against the background of deficiency of vitamins and minerals in the gum area develops an inflammatory process.

It is such clinical manifestations accompanied by thrombocytopenia in pregnancy. Photos of patients who had to face such a diagnosis are abundantly represented in specialized medical reference books and on other relevant resources.

Symptoms of this disease indicate serious violations of the process of hematopoiesis. This is really dangerous, and not only during the period of gestation, but also during childbirth. Absence of competent treatment can cost lives even the most pregnant.

Secondary thrombocytopenia in pregnancy

Secondary thrombocytopenia is more often diagnosed in the middle of pregnancy. As a rule, in this case the disease develops as a result of body irradiation, poisoning with toxic substances. In addition, a decrease in the number of platelets may be observed due to the use of certain drugs. The disease is very dangerous for the child, but with timely diagnosis and timely treatment started, the prognosis is favorable in most cases for both the child and the mother.

Diagnostics

Confirmation of the disease is primarily based on laboratory diagnostic methods. It consists of several stages:

• Collecting anamnesis.
• Medical examination.
• Blood test.
• Aspiration bone marrow biopsy .

The blood test is the most informative method for determining the quantitative content of platelets. If during the medical examination obvious symptoms of the disease (rash on the body, small hemorrhages) are revealed, the doctor can additionally prescribe a bone marrow puncture. In the case of the prevalence of a large number of megakaryocytes in the smear, most likely, the platelets are destroyed or accumulate in the spleen. Only after all the above diagnostic measures, thrombocytopenia is confirmed during pregnancy. Treatment is appointed individually, based on the general condition of the patient, the fetus.

Conservative therapy

Cases of the development of this disease, when there is a possibility of serious consequences, are quite rare. If the pathology is accompanied by a slight decrease in platelets, there are no significant immune disorders in the body, special therapy is not required. Thrombocytopenia during pregnancy with critical parameters involves treatment only in a hospital setting with mandatory adherence to bed rest until the quantitative parameters of the blood come back to normal. Special therapy is required only in severe form of the disease, when the content of platelets drops to a mark of 20x10 ⁹ / l. As a rule, women are prescribed glucocorticoids. An excellent option is "Prednisolone". To minimize the negative impact on the fetus, in each case, the doctor chooses the dosage and duration of the drug.

Severe variants of the disease, when drug therapy is ineffective, an operation is recommended to remove the spleen.

Today, Western experts are actively developing all new drugs aimed at combating such pathology as thrombocytopenia in pregnancy. Reviews about them are still ambiguous. It is known that in the composition of these agents there is a substance that stimulates the production of megakaryocytes.

The help of traditional medicine

Doctors today recommend conservative therapy as one of the main ways to combat thrombocytopenia. In pregnancy, treatment with folk remedies is also actively used. It is important to note that the recipes of our grandmothers are better used together with medicines and only under the supervision of a doctor.

On the positive side in the fight against this pathology has proved to be the most common beet. Before going to bed, it is recommended to rub and sprinkle with sugar. In the morning, juice from the pulp should be squeezed out and used on an empty stomach. Despite the fact that the taste of such a "medicine" is not the most pleasant, the result is worth it.

Sesame oil not only regulates the amount of platelets in the blood, but also speeds up its coagulability. For treatment, it is enough to add oil to salads when cooking.

Thrombocytopenia in pregnancy: effects and prognosis

In general, the prognosis for this disease is favorable. In half of cases, it is explained by hormonal changes in the body, which is quite natural for this period.

The greatest danger is autoimmune thrombocytopenia in pregnancy. What does it mean? Antibodies of a woman through the placenta fall into the blood of the fetus, provoking the death of platelets. In this case, after confirmation of the diagnosis, any obstetric intervention and operations during labor are prohibited. The thing is that such surgical manipulations can cause a baby intracranial hemorrhage.

Labor in uncomplicated disease is carried out conservatively. If the appropriate treatment does not work, or if the general condition worsens, a cesarean section is usually taken. This approach allows you to protect the fetus from trauma and control possible blood loss during childbirth.

Prevention

To prevent the development of a pathology such as thrombocytopenia during pregnancy, it is necessary to minimize all factors responsible for the dysfunction of the woman's immune system. It is recommended to isolate it from patients with various kinds of infections. It is very important in the period of bearing the baby to refuse to take certain groups of drugs (anti-tumor, sulfonamides, anticoagulants, etc.). It should also protect the body from exposure to toxic substances, radiation. In the early stages of pregnancy, the consultation of a geneticist and a hematologist is additionally prescribed, if such cases have already been recorded in the genus.

Conclusion

This article provides detailed information on the topic "Thrombocytopenia: the causes of pregnancy, the main symptoms and treatment methods." Competent and timely therapy allows you to forget about this pathology forever. Be healthy!