CLINICAL AND BIOLOGICAL EVOLUTION OF THE NEWBORN WITH THROMBOCYTOPENIA IN THE NEONATAL INTENSIVE CARE UNIT

ntroduction: Thrombocytopenia is one of the most common haematological disorders detected in the newborn period, especially in neonates admitted to intensive care units and usually indicates an underlying pathological process. Objectives: To determine the etiology, the time of onset, the clinical characteristics and the evolution of newborns with thrombocytopenia. Material and method: 97 newborns with platelet counts (<150,000 / µl) were selected from those admitted to the Neonatology section of the Timisoara Children's Emergency Hospital "Louis Turcanu" for a period of 3 years. The determination of the initial values of platelets was performed at the hospitalization and then daily monitoring or even twice daily in the case of newborns with severe thrombocytopenia. Results: Grade IV thrombocytopenia (<25000 / µl) was present in 13.4% of cases, grade III (25000-50,000 / µL) in 16.5% of cases, grade II (50,000-75,000 / µL) in 9 , 3% of cases and grade I (75,000-150000 / µL) in 60.8% of cases. Most of the newborns (55.7%) were premature and the major causes of thrombocytopenia were sepsis, in 69.1% of cases and hypoxic suffering in 66% of cases. Mortality was 12.6% (n = 14). Conclusion: Thrombocytopenia occurring in newborns admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit is not a negative prognostic factor but rather a marker of severity of the underlying pathology.