Knowledge Check • The Blood Project

What is the definition of thrombocytosis?

Click for Answer

Platelet count > 450 x 10⁹/L

What does the word “primary” refer to in primary thrombocytosis?

Click for Answer

To the fact that the cause is intrinsic to the platelet

What is a “platelet millionaire”?

a

A case in which the patient won the lottery

b

A case in which one million platelets are being produced every second

c

A case in which the platelet count is > million x 10^9/L

d

A case in which the platelet count is > million/microliter

Yes! We now routinely talk about platelet counts as 10/L. The millionaire refers to a time when the platelet count was expressed per microliter.

The original description of platelet millionaire:

Sort conditions (on top) to appropriate buckets (on bottom)

Irritable bowel syndrome

Guillain Barre syndrome

Congestive heart failure

CML

Inflammation

Iron deficiency

Bleeding

Cirrhosis

Infection

Hemolysis

Aortic stenosis

ET

Hypothyroidism

MDS/MPN-RS-T

Surgery

PV

Mutated TPO-R

Cancer

Primary thrombocytosis

Secondary thrombocytosis

No link to thrombocytosis

Abbreviations, ET, essential thrombocythemia; PV, polycythemia vera; CML, chronic myelogenous leukemia; MDS/MPN-RS-T, myelodysplastic syndrome/myeloproliferative neoplasm with ring sideroblasts and thrombocytosis; TPO-R, thrombopoietin receptor.

What is the most important cytokine causing reactive thrombocytosis?

Click for Answer

Interleukin (IL)-6