Several mechanisms are used by the human body to maintain health. One such mechanism is fever, which raises body temperature. Fever is important in diagnosing disease, especially due to the increased chance of fatality when it occurs with low platelets.

Homeostasis Mechanisms

The human body is an intricate integration of several organs and organ systems that insure the proper functioning of the organism. To maintain balance, known as homeostasis, the body utilizes several mechanisms that allow it to insure the health of the organism. One such mechanism is temperature. Temperature is the degree of heat generated from the metabolic processes of the human body. Normally this temperature is 98.6 degrees F. A raised temperature results in pyrexia, also known as fever.

Fever Facts

Fever is an important body mechanism to fight disease. By raising the basal body temperature, many infectious organisms are killed. However, if the fever becomes high or prolonged, treatment is necessary as delirium and convulsions can result. Fever in the case of infection typically occurs due to a decreased immune response. This is particularly the case in association with reduced platelets.

Platelet Facts

Platelets are cellular fragments located within blood along with red blood cells and white blood cells. They are produced within bone marrow. There are 150,000 to 350,000 platelets per microliter of blood. Platelets are important as they prevent blood loss by forming blood clots. They contain factors that allow them to stick to cells and secrete proteins to seal blood vessel walls. However, the normal functioning and activity of platelets are diminished with the condition of thrombocytopenia, or low platelets.

Low Platelets

Thrombocytopenia is a severe condition which may result in death. This is due to the inability of the human body to prevent blood loss, heal areas of blood loss or promote the activity of white blood cells in the damaged area (causes infection). Typically, individuals will have purplish spots on their skin with or without even the slightest trauma.

Significance

Low platelets can only be diagnosed with blood tests. With the presence of fever, early diagnosis and treatment are beneficial to reduce mortality from a fulminant infection. The causes of low platelets with daily fever include: leukemia, HIV, glandular fever, malaria, aplastic anemia and meningitis. This is a very serious condition that requires hospitalization and the administration of blood and platelets.

Source:

Merck Manual: Causes of Low Platelets and Fever

Netdoctor: What are Platelets?

Mayo Clinic: What is Fever?