Thrombocytopenia

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Departments of Internal Medicine & Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA

A platelet count of <150,000 cells/μL is considered thrombocytopenia. However, 2.5% of the population has counts less than this cutoff.

Thrombocytopenia	Platelet count (cells/μL)
Mild	100,000–150,000
Moderate	50,000–100,000
Severe	<50,000

Pathology

Thrombocytopenia is caused by deficient production in the bone marrow, immune-mediated peripheral destruction, or increased sequestration in the spleen.

Etiology

Causes other than psychotropic agents are listed as follows.

Common conditions associated with thrombocytopenia

Nonpsychotropic drugs (antibiotics, cardiac medications, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents)

Chronic infections—HIV, Hepatitis C

Chronic liver disease

Chronic alcohol use

Nutritional deficiencies (Vit B12, folate)

Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP)

Psychotropic Medications and Thrombocytopenia

Drug-induced thrombocytopenia is usually mediated by immune mechanisms, namely, platelet destruction by platelet reactive antibodies. Bone marrow suppression is a less common cause of isolated drug-induced thrombocytopenia.

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