It also measures other important features of your blood cells, like their size.Ī platelet count, platelet distribution width (PDW) and an MPV blood test are parts of a CBC that provide helpful information about your platelets.

A CBC measures how many red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets you have. A CBC is a routine blood test your provider may order as part of an annual physical exam. You may receive an MPV blood test as part of a complete blood count (CBC). Abnormal results may signal a blood disorder or condition that affects your bone marrow.

Volume: The amount of space a substance (like a platelet) occupies.Īn MPV test calculates the average platelet size in a blood sample to get a clearer picture of the health of these blood cells.

Platelet: The blood cells that help your blood clot.

Mean: The mathematical “average” of a group of numbers.

They slow and then stop the blood flow, so you don’t lose too much blood. If you’re injured, platelets clump together at the site of the wound. Platelets (thrombocytes) are blood cells made in the spongy tissue inside of your bone called bone marrow. There is no concrete answer to that yet.An MPV blood test measures the average size of your platelets. “The most common blood-thinning medication is aspirin, although recent studies have shown that women under 65 who are otherwise healthy do not receive the same benefit from aspirin as men do. “Although you may feel fine, your physician might want to keep a close eye on you and investigate whether or not you need medications to reduce the functioning of your platelets,” says Williams. So it’s a good idea to alert your doctor when there’s a family connection. Too many platelets, too few platelets, abnormally functioning platelets, and related conditions such as blood clots, strokes, and heart attacks can be inherited. For example, you could have a healthy number of platelets, but if they’re sticking together too much it can increase your chance of having a heart attack or stroke. But often your cardiovascular risk has more to do with platelet function than platelet number.

If you have too many platelets, it can increase your risk for clotting. How platelets relate to cardiovascular disease Certain types of cancer, such as leukemia or lymphoma.There are a wide range of causes, including: Your platelet count drops when something is preventing your body from producing platelets. Symptoms include easy bruising, and frequent bleeding from the gums, nose, or GI tract. When you don’t have enough platelets, it’s called thrombocytopenia. For example, if you have an infection or anemia, you treat those conditions and the platelet count comes down. With secondary thrombocytosis, the symptoms are usually related to the associated condition. This lowers the platelet count by removing the blood, separating out the platelets, and returning the red blood cells back to the body. In severe cases, the patient might have to undergo a procedure called a platelet pheresis. When there are symptoms, they include spontaneous blood clots in the arms and legs, which if untreated can lead to heart attack and stroke. Secondary thrombocytosis – The same condition as primary thrombocytosis, but may be caused by an ongoing condition or disease such as anemia, cancer, inflammation, or infection.

Primary or essential thrombocytosis – Abnormal cells in the bone marrow cause an increase in platelets, but the reason is unknown.The medical term for having too many platelets is thrombocytosis, and there are two types: You get your platelet number from a routine blood test called a complete blood count (CBC). Having more than 450,000 platelets is a condition called thrombocytosis having less than 150,000 is known as thrombocytopenia. What is a healthy platelet count?Ī normal platelet count ranges from 150,000 to 450,000 platelets per microliter of blood. To make contact with the broken blood vessel, platelets grow long tentacles and then resemble a spider or an octopus. When platelets receive that signal, they’ll respond by traveling to the area and transforming into their “active” formation. A blood vessel will send out a signal when it becomes damaged. They’re literally shaped like small plates in their non-active form. Platelets, the smallest of our blood cells, can only be seen under a microscope. It’s to stop us from bleeding.” What makes platelets change their shape? There’s an evolutionary reason why they’re there. “When you get a cut, for example, the platelets bind to the site of the damaged vessel, thereby causing a blood clot. “Platelets are the cells that circulate within our blood and bind together when they recognize damaged blood vessels,” says Marlene Williams, M.D., director of the Coronary Care Unit at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center.

Mpv blood work