Are There Developmental Changes in Platelet Function for Children?
Discussion
While most people realize that each stage of a child’s life is different, there are some areas that people do not realize are different. For example, there are many laboratory values which are different based on the age because there are developmental changes. Within the hematopoietic system there are many developmental changes that are common such as hemoglobin and hematocrit. Others are less well known such as children have quantitatively less fibrinogen, but the activity is the same as adult fibrinogen.
Platelets are an important part of both the primary and secondary hemostasis processes. They develop from megakaryocytes in the bone marrow, and circulate in the blood with a lifespan of 7-10 days. “Following a vascular injury, platelets are activated by collagen exposed from the endothelium and engagement with von Willebrand factor (vWF), and this initiates subsequent formation of the hemostatic plug.” More platelets arrive at the vascular injury and they are cross-linked by fibrin to stabilize the plug.
There are many tests that can be done to evaluate platelet function including platelet function analysis-100/200 which is one of the standards for assessment ofprimary hemostasis in children, thromboelastrometry, flow cytometry, platelet ELISA assay and others.
Learning Point
Developmental changes for platelets in children includes:
Platelet count
Around 22 weeks gestation, the fetal platelet count reaches adult levels.
Preterm infants have p...
Source: PediatricEducation.org - Category: Pediatrics Authors: Pediatric Education Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: news
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