Evaluation and treatment of thrombocytopenia in the neonatal intensive care unit.
Thrombocytopenia is a very frequent problem among sick neonates, affecting up to 35% of all infants admitted to the NICU. Although multiple clinical conditions have been causally associated with neonatal thrombocytopenia, the cause of the thrombocytopenia is unclear in up to 60% of affected neonates. This article provides neonatologists with a practical approach to the thrombocytopenic neonate, with an emphasis on conditions that could be life-threatening or could have significant implications for further pregnancies. An overview of the current therapeutic modalities is also presented, including a discussion of the possible use of recombinant thrombopoietic cytokines to treat certain groups of thrombocytopenic neonates.
Sola
M C
MC
Department of Pediatrics, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, USA. Solamc@peds.ufl.edu
Del Vecchio
A
A
Rimsza
L M
LM
D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007363:Intensive Care Units, Neonatal; D017370:Interleukin-11 / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013921:Thrombocytopenia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D013926:Thrombopoietin / Q000627:therapeutic use
D017370:Interleukin-11; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D013926:Thrombopoietin