The Turkish Journal of Pediatrics
2013 , Vol 55 , Num 4
Reactive Thrombocytosis in Children
2Division of Pediatric Hematology, 1Department of Pediatrics, Ankara Children’s Hematology Oncology Training and
Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey. E-mail: celalozcan01@yahoo.com.tr
The aim of this study was to evaluate the causes of thrombocytosis, which
was defined as a platelet count greater than 500 x 109/L, and to compare
the groups with mild and severe thrombocytosis. A total of 484 patients
were evaluated for the etiology of thrombocytosis. Patients with a platelet
count between 500-800 x 109/L were considered to have mild thrombocytosis,
while those with a count of ≥800 x 109/L were considered as having severe
thrombocytosis.
Of 484 patients included, 63% had thrombocytosis due to an infectious disease, 11.4% had a chronic inflammatory condition, 8.5% had anemia, and 5.2% had tissue injury. The frequency of chronic inflammation was higher in the severe thrombocytosis group compared to the mild thrombocytosis group (p=0.006). In conclusion, severe infections and chronic inflammatory conditions should be considered in the differential diagnosis of a patient with severe thrombocytosis.
Keywords : childhood, chronic inflammation, infectious disease, reactive thrombocytosis.