An evaluation of thrombocytopenia cases in the hematology clinic of the Ankara Numune Training and Research Hospital

Background Thrombocytopenia is a major disease that requires the referral of outpatient and hospitalized patients to hematology specialists. Objectives The present study aims to evaluate the laboratory and transfusion statuses of adult patients admitted to our hospital and receiving outpatient/inpatient treatment and diagnosed with thrombocytopenia (<100 × 109/l). Design Single-center, retrospective, laboratory-based study. Patients and methods In the study, after obtaining permission of the hospital’s Non-Invasive Clinical Research Ethics Committee, the information of patients diagnosed with thrombocytopenia (platelet count <100 × 109/l) and who were examined and treated in the outpatient/inpatient settings between 2008 and 2010 were retrospectively analyzed using patient files and the hospital electronic database. Sample size A total of 1020 patients diagnosed with thrombocytopenia. Results The patients were divided into groups according to the most common diagnoses for diseases associated with thrombocytopenia (hematological malignancy, disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC)-sepsis, immune thrombocytopenia (ITP), infection, and chronic liver disease (n=708). Chemotherapy-induced, drug-induced, nutritional (B12, folate deficiency, etc.), OKIT, pregnancy-induced thrombocytopenias and other less common causes of thrombocytopenia were evaluated in a separate group (n=312). It was found that female patients were more frequently diagnosed with ITP (71.7 vs. 28.3%). Sex distributions were similar in other groups. The highest mean age (71 years: 50/80) was observed in patients with DIC-sepsis, whereas the lowest mean age was found in patients with ITP (40 years: 30/57) (P<0.001). It was found that the most frequent need for transfusion developed in patients diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia, acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and aplastic anemia. Conclusion In this study, it was determined that the prevalence of thrombocytopenia was highest in patients diagnosed with hematological malignancy, ITP, and DIC-sepsis, respectively. In cases of hematological malignancy, the need for replacement of blood products is considered to be inevitable during the treatment process of the underlying disease compared with other clinical conditions.