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Thrombocytopenia is, after anemia, the second most common abnormality of the complete blood count in pregnancy, with a reported frequency of 6.6% to 11.2%. It has many causes. Thrombocytopenia should be diagnostically evaluated as early as possible in pregnancy, so that the obstetrical management can be accordingly planned to minimize harm to the mother and child. As the various underlying diseases share clinical features and laboratory findings, the differential diagnosis is often a difficult interdisciplinary challenge.In this article, we review pertinent literature (2000-January 2015) retrieved by a selective search in PubMed.Gestational thrombocytopenia is the most common type, accounting for 75% of cases, followed by severe pre-eclampsia/HELLP syndrome (hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, low platelet count) in 15-22% and autoimmune thrombocytopenia (ITP) in 1-4%. Gestational thrombocytopenia and ITP differ in the bleeding history, the severity of thrombocytopenia, the frequency of neo - natal thrombocytopenia, and the rate of normalization of the platelet count after delivery. The HELLP syndrome and rarer microangiopathic hemolytic anemias (e.g., thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura) can be differentiated on the basis of their main clinical features, such as hypertension/proteinuria and upper abdominal pain, the severity of hemolysis and thrombocytopenia, the degree of transaminase elevation, and the rapidity of postpartum remission of the clinical and laboratory findings. A stepwise diagnostic procedure should be followed to distinguish further causes, e.g., to differentiate thrombocytopenia due to infection, autoimmune disease, or drugs from thrombocytopenia due to a rare hereditary disease.The early interdisciplinary evaluation of thrombocytopenia in pregnancy is a prerequisite for the optimal care of the mother and child. The development of evidence-based recommendations for interdisciplinary management should be a goal for the near future.

von Willebrand, Vitamin D and platelet diagnostics: The table shows the results for each patient, listed to patient ID according to Table 1, with unit and normal measurement range in brackets depending on the respective laboratory where the analysis was performed. For Vitamin D and functional platelet analysis, normal ranges differ among those depending on the commercial test used. Bold red values show deviation from the normal range. Stroked out values are not available in the specific laboratory of examination (n.a.d. = no applicable disease). (DOCX 111 kb)

Background The vascular type represents a very rare, yet the clinically most fatal entity of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS). Patients are often admitted due to arterial bleedings and the friable tissue and the altered coagulation contribute to the challenge in treatment strategies. Until now there is little information about clotting characteristics that might influence hemostasis decisively and eventually worsen emergency situations. Results 22 vascular type EDS patients were studied for hemoglobin, platelet volume and count, Quick and activated partial thromboplastin time, fibrinogen, factor XIII, von Willebrand disease, vitamin D and platelet aggregation by modern standard laboratory methods. Results show a high prevalence of over 50 % for platelet aggregation disorders in vascular type EDS patients, especially for collagen and epinephrine induced tests, whereas the plasmatic cascade did not show any alterations. Additionally, more than half of the tested subjects showed low vitamin D serum levels, which might additionally affect vascular wall integrity. Conclusion The presented data underline the importance of detailed laboratory screening methods in vascular type EDS patients in order to allow for targeted application of platelet-interacting substances that might be of decisive benefit in the emergency setting.

Blood count and plasmatic coagulation laboratory results: The table shows the results for each patient, listed to patient ID according to Table 1, with unit and normal measurement range. Bold red values show deviation from the normal range. Stroked out values are not available in the specific laboratory of examination. (DOCX 74 kb)