About our e-newsletters
- Free e-newsletters
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- We do not share your e-mail address
Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
Housecall Archives
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Tests and diagnosis
By Mayo Clinic staff
Tests to diagnose thrombocytopenia
Tests and procedures used to diagnose thrombocytopenia include:
- Blood test. A complete blood count determines the number of blood cells, including platelets, in a sample of your blood. Normal blood contains 150,000 to 450,000 platelets per microliter. If the complete blood count finds you have fewer than 150,000 platelets, you have thrombocytopenia.
- Physical exam. Your doctor may do a physical exam to look for signs of bleeding, such as excessive bruising or petechiae. Your doctor may also feel your abdomen to see if your spleen is enlarged.
Other tests to determine the cause of thrombocytopenia
Once your doctor diagnoses your thrombocytopenia, you may undergo other tests and procedures to determine the cause. The tests and procedures you undergo depend on your other signs and symptoms.
- Mullally A, et al. Thrombocytopenia. In: Nilsson KR, et al. The Osler Medical Handbook. 2nd ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2006. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/178460302-5/0/1387/0.html. Accessed Jan. 15, 2010.
- Thrombocytopenia. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/thcp/thcp_all.html. Accessed Jan. 15, 2010.
- McMillan R. Hemorrhagic disorders: Abnormalities of platelet and vascular function. In: Goldman L, et al. Cecil Medicine. 23rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2008. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/178460302-6/0/1492/0.html. Accessed Jan. 15, 2010.
Find Mayo Clinic on