Neonatal thrombocytopenia is a common clinical problem and is a prognostic marker of many disease conditions in neonates. Thrombocytopenia develops in 22% to 35% of all newborns admitted to neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). A study published in the Journal of Neonatology reported that in the NICU setting, severe thrombocytopenia (39%) and very severe thrombocytopenia (51%) were very common. Moreover, it was observed that neonatal sepsis (67%) was the leading cause of thrombocytopenia followed by prematurity (52%).
Similarly, maternal pregnancy-induced hypertension was significantly associated with neonatal thrombocytopenia. The outcome was very poor in severe thrombocytopenia and platelet transfusion was the mainstay of therapy. 150 neonates were included in the study. They were divided into four groups depending on their lowest platelet count during the stay: 3% mild, 7% moderate,…
