Losing Weight and High Platelet Count

[Anonymous]

My DH has high platelets with no known cause. It increases your risk of stroke, so his doctor prescribed a baby aspirin every day to reduce the chance of blood clots, and he gets his platelet level monitored 2x/year.

[Anonymous]

High platelets, with normal iron, can be an inflammatory marker. If the iron was normal and you were not fasting, it can be falsely negative. Low iron can also cause high platelets. If your white count was top normal, there might be infection/inflammation going on. With the weight loss, in the absence of thyroid problems or diabetes, you should see GI.

[Anonymous]

That’s not wildly high actually but in combination with the weight loss I would guess they’d want to retest in a week or two and then send you to a hematologist or even just send you to a hematologist.

The hem/onc should be able to do really extensive blood testing for a lot of things, including markers that might point to more of an auto immune thing in which case they might suggest you see a rheumatologist as well. They may also send you for a colonoscopy, etc…if you aren’t up to date on routine screenings.

I had unexplained platelets in that range for a number of years and nothing was ever found but I also didn’t have other symptoms.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How much alcohol do you drink, if any? That can cause a high platelet count.

I don't drink any...none. Quit drinking almost a year ago.

Well that probably explains the weight loss

[Anonymous]

How much did you drink before you quit?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How much did you drink before you quit?

Quite a bit. I'm in recovery now actually and my life is better than it ever has been and at first I thought the weight loss was from that and was welcoming but it just kept coming off. Now I'm too skinny and it's scary (for me 5'7 and 110) and I also have no appetite hardly at all so something else must be going on.

I did talk with the doctor yesterday and he's not concerned at the moment since my white blood cells and red blood cells are still within normal. I go back in two weeks for a follow up so we'll see.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How much did you drink before you quit?

Quite a bit. I'm in recovery now actually and my life is better than it ever has been and at first I thought the weight loss was from that and was welcoming but it just kept coming off. Now I'm too skinny and it's scary (for me 5'7 and 110) and I also have no appetite hardly at all so something else must be going on.

I did talk with the doctor yesterday and he's not concerned at the moment since my white blood cells and red blood cells are still within normal. I go back in two weeks for a follow up so we'll see.

Wow…that is extremely thin. Please advocate for yourself when you go back…the doctor being “unconcerned” is not an acceptable response.

[Anonymous]

Go to GI

[Anonymous]

OP I have had platelets that high and even a bit higher several times over the past decade. Neither of my two primary care doctors has been concerned.