Pediatric Thrombocytopenia

Diagnosis

Symptoms of thrombocytopenia can include:

• Unusual bleeding
• Abnormal bruising
• Blood in the stools or urine

Diagnosing thrombocytopenia involves a physical examination and a series of blood tests. It is important to identify the cause of thrombocytopenia before starting treatment. In some cases a sample of bone marrow tissue may be required to provide important information about the disease. The procedure to obtain such samples is fairly simple. A needle is safely inserted into a bone in the back of the pelvis, and a sample of bone marrow is then collected for examination under a microscope.