Context: The measurements of platelet count, mean platelet
volume (MPV), are routinely available nowadays. So this study
was designed to study the causes of reactive thrombocytosis. Aims:
To study the association of reactive thrombocytosis in different
underlying clinical conditions and its age dependent aetiology. Also
to study the relation between reactive thrombocytosis and platelet
volume. Settings and Design: Prospective study. Methods and Material:
This descriptive study was done on 500 patients with platelet count
> 450,000/l and the cause being reactive. Platelet count and MPV
were measured at the time of hospitalization. Statistical analysis used:
Cross tabulations for categorical data & correlation for continuous
data in the SPSS ver.19 programme. Results: Most common cause
of reactive thrombocytosis was Infections (28.8%), Tissue damage
(16.4%), Iron deficiency anemia (16.2%), Malignancy (9.6%) and
Inflammation (9.4%). In infections, bacterial infections (88%) were
found to be more common. In children, infections 24.7%, anemia
21.9 %, tissue damage 21.9, haemolytic anemia 5.7%, inflammation
(non-tuberculosis) 5.7%, poisoning 5.7% and tuberculosis 4.8% were
common causes studied. Conclusion: Thrombocytosis is not rare in
children. Causes of reactive thrombocytosis were almost similar
in both the paediatrics and adults. Secondary thrombocytosis is
common and predominatly attributed to infection. This study
demonstrated a higher level of platelet count and lower MPV in all
the patients having reactive thrombocytosis.
Keywords: Thrombocytosis; Mean platelet volume; Platelet
count.