Our Patients' Stories
Kasia’s life hangs in the balance
Kasia, previously a healthy individual, has been experiencing general weakness and fatigue for some time.
She received a recommendation to undergo follow-up laboratory tests. In the results, she noticed that her blood platelet count was high and immediately scheduled an appointment with her doctor. The earliest available appointment is in 3 days. Can Kasia wait that long?
See the interpretation of Kasia’s results
Without waiting for the scheduled appointment, Kasia promptly went to the hospital emergency department.
She was admitted urgently to the hematology department. She did the right thing – every hour of delay in treatment jeopardized her life and health.
Expert commentary
In the indicated morphology, >1 million platelets were observed, which may indicate the presence of a hematologic disorder – essential thrombocytosis. This condition can remain asymptomatic for a long time, often being detected incidentally in morphology performed for other reasons.
However, over time, symptoms such as transient visual disturbances, sensory disturbances, and numbness of limbs may appear, indicating life-threatening thrombotic complications requiring immediate medical assistance.
Agnieszka Kuś, MD
Doctor of medicine, graduate of Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, specialized in internal medicine. Works for the Lower Silesian Oncology Centre in Wroclaw.