REVIEW article
Front. Med.
Sec. Hematology
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmed.2025.1638994
This article is part of the Research TopicInherited or Acquired Defects in Primary and Secondary HemostasisView all articles
Acquired Platelet Disorders
Provisionally accepted
- 1King Fahd Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- 2Alfaisal University College of Medicine, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
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Introduction Platelets play a crucial role in primary hemostasis. Platelet defects can be congenital or acquired, with the latter being far more common. These disorders are broadly categorized into quantitative abnormalities, defined as a platelet count below the lower limit of the normal range (<150 × 10⁹/L). Thrombocytopenia is further classified by severity: mild (100-149 × 10⁹/L); moderate (50–99 × 10⁹/L); and severe (<50 × 10⁹/L), and qualitative, where the platelet function is defective. In many settings, these two conditions can coexist: i.e., a drop in platelet count accompanied by abnormal platelet function. Platelet defects usually result in mucocutaneous bleeding (e.g., petechiae, purpura, epistaxis, gingival bleeding, and menorrhagia). In this article, the pathophysiology of the most encountered conditions in clinical practice that lead to acquired platelet dysfunction will be discussed. A special focus will be given to the role of inflammation in platelet dysfunction, more accurately, platelet activation, as this is a rapidly evolving field that remains under-recognized in conventional classifications of acquired platelet disorders.
Keywords: Acquired platelet defects, Acquired platelet disorders, immune thrombocytopaenia (ITP), Acquired coagulation disorders, Approach to acquired bleeding disorders, Therapy of acquired bleeding disorders
Received: 01 Jun 2025; Accepted: 16 Oct 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Altahan. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Rahaf Mahmoud Altahan, mt.rahaf@gmail.com
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