Prevalence and Description of Thrombocytopenia in Children at University Hospital Mohammed VI Marrakech

Abstract

Thrombocytopenia is defined by a number of circulating platelets less than 150 G/l. Realization of a blood smear is necessary to find out its reality and to study platelet morphology. Several mechanisms may be involved: peripheral thrombocytopenia by destruction, consumption or hypersplenism and central thrombocytopenia dominated by haematological malignancies. The aim of this study is to describe thrombocytopenia in children received at our hospital. This is a prospective study, including all thrombocytopenic children from 0 to 15 years old who received a blood count at the Hematology Laboratory for 1 month. A blood smear will be systematically performed for false thrombocytopenia and for the study of platelet morphology. The etiological determination will be made by the exploitation of the files at the level of clinical services. The average age of patients was 4 years with extremes ranging from 2 daysAt 15 years old, predominantly female, 53% (24 girls/21 boys), with a sex ratio of 0.87. Of the 45 cases, 42% were from a completed follow-up pregnancy, 15% had the concept of consanguinity in their antecedents. The myelogram showed AML in 7% of cases, ALL in 4%, 9% in leishmania, LMMC in 2% and myelofibrosis in 2%. Infection, leukemia and leishmaniasis with 39%, 25% and 11% are the most implicated causes in the development of thrombocytopenia in children in the study population. Thrombocytopenia is defined in children by a platelet count of less than 150 G/L, normal values before the age of 15 years are 95% of children between 165 and 473 G/L with a median value of 299 G/L [1]. The discovery of a fortuitous thrombocytopenia during a hemogram or when the child presents to the emergencies with cutaneo-mucous haemorrhagic manifestations must initiate a rigorous diagnosis.