What are the symptoms and how is it diagnosed?

Many people with thrombocytopenia, especially mild thrombocytopenia, do not have any symptoms. More advanced forms of thrombocytopenia can cause a number of bleeding problems. These include excessive and recurrent nosebleeds (epistaxis), bruise-like patches (purpura), and excessive bleeding from wounds (hemorrhage).

A blood test to count platelets is the most important diagnostic tool to check for thrombocytopenia. Most HIV-positive people have their platelet levels checked on a regular basis, as part of their Complete Blood Count (CBC) Test, usually when viral load and T-cell counts are checked. In turn, most HIV-positive people are diagnosed with thrombocytopenia before it can cause serious problems.

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