Reasons for Low Platelet Count in Dengue Fever

Blood platelets also known as thrombocytes play an important role in your body. These cell fragments are natural source of growth and play basic role in process of hemostasis (preventing bleeding from damaged blood vessel) as well.

Normal platelet count in a micro litre of human blood is 150000 to 450000. Slight decrease in the platelet count does not contribute to the disease but when it is below 50,000 per micro litre, thrombocytopenia occurs. Low platelet count in dengue fever can be very dangerous.

The reasons for low platelet count in dengue fever are as follows.

• Dengue virus, the main cause of dengue fever induces bone marrow suppression. Since bone marrow is the manufacturing centre of blood cells its suppression causes deficiency of blood cells leading to low platelet count. Anaemia and spontaneous severe bleeding are the other resultant factors of bone marrow suppression.

• Studies suggest that dengue virus can even bind to platelets of human blood in the presence of virus-specific antibody.

• When vascular endothelial cell that are infected with dengue virus gets combined with platelets they tend to destroy platelets. This is one of the major causes of low platelet count in dengue fever.

• Even the antibodies that are produced after infection of dengue virus can contribute in destruction of platelets, thus lowering the platelet count.

Low platelet count in dengue fever may lead to life-threatening condition known as hemorrhagic dengue fever that is categorised by spontaneous bleeding tendency and shock.

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