I had my labs done on Thursday and the Drs office called that night and said my white blood cells and platelets are in the trash and they need to see me.  Of course I've done my own internet searches but really don't know/believe what I read. I don't go back to the drs until Thursday and it's bugging me. Any ideas?  One site hinted to vitamin B deficencies.

How was your B12?  We want our B12 no lower than 550, but around 1000 is better.  Docs often think it's OK for it to be much lower, though.  So when you go, ask for the number.  If it's lower than 550, you can ask for a B12 shot right then (they don't hurt at all).

There are about a million things that could cause low WBC and platelets.  I had to google, I don't know them all off the top of my head.  But it looks like it could be anything from a side effect of a medication, a B12 deficiency, a symptom of hepatitis C, something that happens if you abuse alcohol for too long, a reaction to a blood transfusion, an infection (some more serious than others), to cancer or lupus.  Yeah, some of those things are scary.  I'd try not to worry too much until you go back to the doc, though.  It could be something scary but it's probably not, those things are pretty rare.

I can also tell you that if they were really what I would consider in the trash, they wouldn't be having you come back in on Thursday, they would have told you to go directly to the hospital to get some platelets.  My partner's father had leukemia and has had a terrible time with very low platelets.  He's at the hospital at least a couple times a month getting platelets.  So I'm sure your are low but they aren't dangerously low or they would not be waiting until Thursday.

Get copies of your labs. Yes it could be B deficiency or other things. I concur with Kelly if it was a real serious concern that needed immediately attention your doctor would not wait until Thursday.

When doctors use words like that it tends to have our minds thinking all kind of scary thoughts. It needs to be dealt with though, try not to stress about it.

Do you know what the exact levels were???  Low white blood cells and platelets are usually NOT related to any nutritional deficiencies.

Low platelets usually indicate some kind of liver involvement.

Low white blood cells usually indicate a very long, low grade  infectious process or some kind of cancer, like leukemia or lymphoma.  You would need more tests to rule out either one.

I have had low platelets for years and never heard it has anything to do with the liver.  They have to do with your spleen, clotting, bone marrow  or possible autoimmune disorders.  It is called Thrombocytopenia -  I have had low platelets for years but they dont' know why and have called it ITP = idiopathic.

 I even just went into the Merck manual and it says nothing about the liver - they list as a problem with the spleen (enlarged), or other things I listed above.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001612/

Thrombocytopenia

Last reviewed: February 5, 2010.

Thrombocytopenia is any disorder in which there is an abnormally low amount of platelets. Platelets are parts of the blood that help blood to clot. This condition is sometimes associated with abnormal bleeding.

Causes, incidence, and risk factors

Thrombocytopenia is often divided into three major causes of low platelets:

1. Low production of platelets in the bone marrow

2. Increased breakdown of platelets in the bloodstream (called intravascular)

3. Increased breakdown of platelets in the spleen or liver (called extravascular)

Disorders that involve low production in the bone marrow include:

• Aplastic anemia

• Cancer in the bone marrow

• Cirrhosis (chronic liver disease)

• Folate deficiency

• Infections in the bone marrow (very rare)

• Myelodysplasia

• Vitamin B12 deficiency

Use of certain drugs may also lead to a low production of platelets in the bone marrow. The most common example is chemotherapy treatment.

Disorders that involve the breakdown of platelets include:

• Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC)

• Drug-induced nonimmune thrombocytopenia

• Drug-induced immune thrombocytopenia

• Hypersplenism

• Immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP)

• Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura

Symptoms

• Bruising

• Nosebleeds or bleeding in the mouth and gums

• Rash (pinpoint red spots called petechiae)

Other symptoms may be present as well, depending on the cause of the condition. Mild thrombocytopenia can occur without symptoms.

Signs and tests

Complete blood count (CBC) shows low number of platelets. Blood clotting studies (PTT and PT) are normal.

Other tests that may help diagnose this condition include:

• Bone marrow aspiration or biopsy

• Platelet associated antibodies

Treatment

Treatment depends on the cause of the condition. In some cases, a transfusion of platelets may be required to stop or prevent bleeding.

Expectations (prognosis)

The outcome depends on the disorder causing the low platelet counts.

Complications

Severe bleeding (hemorrhage) is the main complication. This can include:

• Bleeding in the brain (intracranial hemorrhage)

• Gastrointestinal bleeding (vomiting blood or blood in the stools)

• Nosebleeds

Calling your health care provider

Call your healthcare provider if you experience unexplained bleeding or bruising.

Prevention

Prevention depends on the specific cause.

References

1. McMillan R. Hemorrhagic disorders: abnormalities of platelet and vascular function. In: Goldman L, Ausiello D, eds. Cecil Medicine. 23rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2007:chap 179.

Most of the patients that I care for, in the hospital setting, that have low platelets have some kind of liver disease ~ whether it is cirrhosis or Hepatitis. 

Just because it wasn't mentioned to you as a possible cause of YOUR thrombocytopenia doesn't mean that it is not the cause of most thrombocytopenia.

Thank you for the info. I wasn't stating it because it isn't the cause of mine, I stated it because I gave the information I got from several medical books and websites, non of them listed liver disease as a cause.  I guess I learned something new.  We don't know what causes mine and the hematologist said my platelets at 90,000 - 100,000 aren't low enough to warrent doing a bone marrow biopsy which I am very happy about.  I have no symptoms at this point, so we jus****ch them.

Did they tell you how low your WBC's or platelets were?  I have had low platelets for years but unless they get dangerously low, they really don't do anything about it. Normal is 140,000 to 400,000  - I have been around 100,000 for a long time.

A low blood cell count can be due to some type of infection or various cancers, such as leukemia.  But dont' jump to any conclusions.

I was hospitalized about 5 weeks ago for surgery due to kidney stones and had some complications of severe blood loss and high fever. I was admitted and stayed for 5 days.  During this stay, my WBC, hemoglobin, hemacrit and platelets were all dangerously low.  I thought I was going to need a transfusion.  They put me in  a private room because I was at risk for infection with such a low WBC count.  Normal is 4,0 to 11.0 and I was at 2.7 - my platelets had dropped to 67,000 and my hemoglobin was only 8.1 and normal is 12.0 - 16.0  Thankfully, they watched me and did labs 2 times per day and my levels did improve a little bit enough to be released.  I was seen by a hematologist which is who you need to see if these are truely low for you  I went back to the hematologist a week later and my WBC went up to 3.4 and my platelets were in the 100's but dont' remember what.  He was happy.  I just had labs done last week and my WBC's are still 3.4 and platelets are 113. I see my hematologist again in a month

Unless platelets go down to like 50,000 they dont' usually do anything.  They can do some blood tests for autoimmune disorders and do a sonogram or CT of your abdomen to check for an enlarged  spleen. These are some causes of low platelets.

As far as the WBC, as long as it is above 2.0 - it isn't terribly dangerous.  You want to try to find out why but the lower they are, the higher risk you are for infection. You also need to know what your Neuts, Lymphs and Monos are - these are types of WBC's and give them an idea of what the problem is.

Make sure you get a copy of your labs but I wouldnt' worry yet.  If they are letting you wait until Thursday, then it isnt an immediate danger.

Has nothing to do with any vitamins or minerals. RBC's cause anemia from B vitamins, not WBC