Without platelets, we would die pretty easily. The microscopic plate-shaped structures in our bloodstream rush to the site of an injury, forming clots that stop blood loss and help stimulate the ...

Platelets contain and can synthesize molecules capable of modulating adaptive and innate immune responses. In systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), platelets are activated, their abundance often ...

Primary thrombocytopenia is an autoimmune disorder that causes a low number of platelets in the blood. Other names for it are immune thrombocytopenia and ITP. Platelets are specialized blood cells ...

One of the side effects of aspirin is reduced platelet function. Aspirin can potentially make issues with blood clotting worse. Thrombocytopenia is the medical term for low platelet count. Platelets ...

Some medications can cause a low platelet count, which can lead to excessive bleeding. Heparin is the most frequent cause, but common drugs like acetaminophen and some antibiotics can also cause ...

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I am 33 years old and recently had an annual physical and routine blood work. I'm active with two children and feel fantastic, but my platelet count came back as 651. My health care ...

When the polar vortex froze out residents in much the United States in January, it also sent chills through the U.S. blood system, especially for people who needed platelets. “If you are safely able ...

The lives of many cancer patients are saved by the transfusion of platelets, but there is a chronic shortage of these fragile blood-clotting components because of spoilage. A new technique may double ...

Some teenagers dream of getting a driver's license, buying a cheap car and spending late nights out with friends. But when he was young, Ryan Dolce hoped to one day give blood. At the time, the now-30 ...

HI, JAMES. HI. JIM STIERS, A FAMILIAR FACE. AND ARM AT THE LANCASTER GENERAL HEALTH BLOOD DONOR CENTER. I’VE BEEN DOING IT FOR A LONG TIME. THE 70 YEAR OLD IS A RECORD PLATELET DONOR. HIS STATS? HE’S ...