Two of the three regional blood banks serving Washington state are facing a severe blood shortage due to the lingering effects from heavy rains and floods in December, combined with a slowdown in donations,

A low platelet count can lead to easy bruising and excessive bleeding. Platelets help your blood clot, and without enough, bleeding can take longer to stop. Reduced platelet production can be caused by nutritional deficiencies or heavy alcohol use.

Multiple myeloma causes an overgrowth of cancerous plasma cells in your bone marrow. When these cancerous cells crowd out the healthy cells in your bone marrow, thrombocytopenia can occur. Multiple myeloma is a blood cancer that forms in the plasma cells ...

The most common etiology of pseudothrombocytopenia is platelet clumping induced by EDTA, which is the anticoagulant present in the purple tube in which blood is collected for a CBC. This clumping is probably attributable to a naturally occurring platelet ...

Dear Dr. Roach: My brother has low blood platelets and anemia. He will be 73 this year and has had three back surgeries. What causes low blood platelets? Can anything be done to raise platelet count? He drinks alcohol everyday — not hard liquor, but ...

The spice turmeric and its active ingredient, curcumin, have several health benefits, including the ability to increase blood platelet count. But there are precautions to be aware of. Share on Pinterest Aleksandr Zubkov/Getty Images Platelets are a part of ...

Please provide your email address to receive an email when new articles are posted on . A 65-year-old male presented for his annual exam. The medical assistant (MA) checking the patient in remarked that he is asymptomatic except for reporting being a ...

We Are Blood is critically low on blood donations, especially O-negative and platelets, after winter closures. Here's where and how to donate now.

A shortage of blood donations in Germany could have dramatic consequences. The situation was critical in mid-January. DW's Marcel Fürstenau answered a call to donate blood and reported on his experience.