Question:
After
radiation blood platelets count has gone down to 37k.
How to
increase it by taking any food supplements or please suggest any other
remedies?
The patient
is 55 years, and suffering from lymphoma for last 2 years. She is
in Pune.
Urmila
Answer:
Dear
Urmila,
There
is nothing much to do about it, it's the bone marrow that counts in
that case.
Thrombocytopenia
is the term for a reduced platelet (thrombocyte) count. It happens
when platelets are lost from the circulation faster than they can
be replaced from the bone marrow where they are made.
The choice
of treatment for thrombocytopenia depends upon the severity of the
platelet count, its cause and whether or not there is any bleeding.
Radiation
can temporarily damage the bone marrow and worsen the thrombocytopenia.
Transfusions would then be given if the platelet count becomes very
low until it reaches a safer level or the bone marrow recovers.
Eltrombopag
is an investigational small-molecule thrombopoietin receptor agonist
that is thought to stimulate the proliferation and differentiation
of megakaryocytes, the bone marrow cells that give rise to blood platelets,
and thus is considered a platelet growth factor.
Because
it is a small molecule, the drug has less potential than large protein
molecules for causing an immune system reaction. Eltrombopag is being
developed by GlaxoSmithKline.
Western
Medicine states that a healthy platelet count should be between 150,000
and 400,000 platelets. Do not put nearly as much emphasis on count
as do on symptoms. A person can lead a very comfortable, symptom free
life with 70-80k healthy platelets. The issue is having healthy usable
platelets, not just a high platelet count.
The following
might be good for the patient :
Eat foods
high in protein and calories.
Drink plenty of water and other fluids.
Take folic acid (folate).
Don’t use dental floss if platelet count is below 50,000
Foods
rich in fiber exacerbate GI symptoms in patients with chronic radiation
enteritis.
High fat- and lactose-containing foods did not appear to be as big
of a trigger for these GI symptoms.
