Platelets are one of the most important components of blood. They are extremely important in clotting of blood, and when the platelet count of a person is very low, they can experience a large number of clotting and bleeding disorders. In some cases, the size of the platelets can become very small or very large. Large platelets in pregnancy is not a very common condition. However, this condition exists and is known as platelet anisocytosis. The size of the platelets is extremely important in terms of diagnosis of any conditions, especially thrombocytopenia.
In case there are large platelets in pregnancy, it is probable that the bone marrow is not able to produce normal blood cells.
Large platelets in ovulation may be caused due to an autoimmune disorder in which the platelets begin to be destroyed due to the body’s own immune system. Large platelets in the first trimester may be due to an infection or any underlying condition in which the bone marrow fails to produce enough platelets.
Thrombocytopenia along with large-sized platelets may indicate the destruction or the consumption of platelets at a large scale, which therefore induces the bone marrow to produce more number of platelets. Also read more on low platelets in pregnancy.
Large platelets in the second trimester are also usually caused due to the same reason. The size of platelets can be very useful in assessing thrombocytosis and its likely causes. Severe infection or inflammation in the body can be responsible for the large platelets in pregnancy and therefore diagnostic investigation may be necessary. Other conditions like myeloproliferative disorders may also be responsible for platelet size. This is one of the causes of presence of giant platelets in the blood stream.
Large platelets in pregnancy often have defective granulation. In some cases, the granulation may be completely missing. Sometimes, the presence of large platelets could also be due to error in handling a blood sample. If the blood sample has clotted partially, it may seem as it contains a number of large platelets.
There are rare congenital anomalies such as the grey platelet syndrome, which can cause the presence of large platelets. This disease is usually caused when one or both of the parents are genetic carriers of bone marrow disease. The genetic links of this disease may be passed on to the developing fetus as well. Other diseases associated with large platelets in pregnancy include myelodysplastic and myeloproliferative disorders, all of which correspond to the problems with bone marrow and blood cell production.
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