High Platelets: What It Means and What to Do Next
High platelets, or thrombocytosis, means you have more of the cell fragments that help your blood clot than the reference range. Quest's adult range is 140–400 thousand per microliter, but go by the range printed on your report. Most high counts are reactive: the body is responding to something else, most often iron deficiency, an infection, inflammation, recent surgery or injury, or having had the spleen removed. Reactive counts fall once the cause is treated. Less often, the bone marrow itself overproduces platelets, as in essential thrombocythemia, which raises the risk of blood clots and is diagnosed by a hematologist.
What Causes High Platelet Count?
Iron Deficiency
One of the most common reasons, often with low hemoglobin and small red cells. The count usually returns to normal once iron is replaced.
Infection and Inflammation
Infections, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease and other inflammatory conditions raise platelets, often with high CRP or sed rate.
Surgery, Injury and Blood Loss
Platelets rise for a few weeks after surgery, trauma, burns or bleeding as part of healing.
Spleen Removal
The spleen normally stores about a third of your platelets. Without it, the count can stay high for life, which is usually expected.
Cancer
Some cancers, including lung, colorectal, stomach and ovarian cancer, can raise platelets. It is an uncommon cause, and one reason a persistent, unexplained high count in an adult is evaluated rather than ignored.
Essential Thrombocythemia
A bone-marrow disorder in which the marrow overproduces platelets, usually driven by a mutation in the JAK2, CALR or MPL gene. It raises the risk of clots and, at very high counts, bleeding.
Other Bone-Marrow Disorders
Polycythemia vera, myelofibrosis and chronic myeloid leukemia can also raise platelets, usually with other abnormal counts.
Associated Symptoms
What to Do Next
1. Retest to confirm
A single abnormal result should be confirmed with a repeat test. Temporary factors like stress, illness, or medications can affect results.
2. Related tests to consider
3. When to see a doctor
If your Platelet Count is significantly abnormal, if you have severe symptoms, or if repeated results confirm the abnormality, consult a healthcare professional for appropriate evaluation and treatment.
Related Conditions
Frequently Asked Questions
This page is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Consult a healthcare provider for interpretation of your results.
Content reviewed for accuracy by the JustLabs editorial team.