Platelets are small red cells that are generally found in human and animal blood. Platelets are also known as thrombocytes, and they do not have a specific shape.
If the count of platelets in your blood is too high then you might have problems like frequent blood cots that might lead to problems like heart attack, stroke, and pulmonary embolism. On the other hand, if the count of platelets in your blood is very low then you might have problems like excessive bleeding because the blood will not clot as it should. Hence, platelets are important for normal blood clotting process.
Platelets are generally anuclear, which means that they do not contain any DNA nucleus. They are largely responsible for the growth factors, and therefore, they are an important element of our blood.
Platelets are actually produced in the bone marrow where they are known as megakaryocytes. However, they break off from there and enter the blood stream, and they circulate with the blood for around 9 to 10 days after which they die as new platelets enter the blood stream to maintain the balance.
Platelets are important because they quickly coagulate the blood in case of any cuts or wounds. When we get wounded or injured the lining of the blood vessel is ruptured and that releases’ collagen. Platelets have certain hormones that recognize collagen and quickly begin the process of coagulating the blood to stop the blood loss.
A lot of hospitals these days also go for platelet transfusion apart from the blood transfusion. However, platelets have a very short span of life and therefore, doctors have to make sure that they quickly make use of the platelets as they can be active only for 4-5 days.
