7 Superfoods for Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP)

What Are Thrombocytopenia and ITP?

If you have thrombocytopenia, you don’t have enough platelets in your blood. Platelets help your blood clot, which stops bleeding. For most people, it’s not a big problem. But if you have a severe form, you can bleed too much when you’re injured. A healthy person usually has a platelet count of 150,000 to 400,000. You have thrombocytopenia if your number falls under 150,000.

Causes

There are many causes but one of the most common cause is immune thrombocytopenia. You can refer it by its old name, idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura. As till now doctors don’t know what causes ITP, they know that it happens when your immune system — our body’s main defense against disease — doesn’t work right. Your antibodies, which are supposed to attack infections, instead mistakenly destroy your platelets. When your skin is wounded, platelets clump together to form clots to stop bleeding. However, when you do not have enough blood platelets in your body, blood clots cannot form. Blood is made up of various types of cells, namely RBC, WBC and platelets, also known thrombocytes. A lack of platelets in your body may cause symptoms like fatigue, bleeding gums, easy bruising. A low platelet count may also be known as thrombocytopenia. The condition, if diagnosed early may be cured with a healthy diet chart for ITP. There are certain foods to increase blood platelets. We take you through the symptoms and causes of low platelet count and the foods to increase blood platelets.

Symptoms of Low Blood Platelet Count

Mild cases of low blood platelet count may have you experience the following symptoms

• Bleeding nose
• Bleeding gums
• Blood in the urine
• Heavy menstrual bleeding
• Rashes
• Prolonged wound bleeding
• Blood in the stool
• In case of severe condition, you may vomit blood
• Heavy internal bleeding may lead to bleeding in the brain. Consult your doctor immediately in case you have low blood platelet count and experience headaches or any neurological problem.

Thrombocytopenia may run in your family. But its cause is not due to ITP, your body might have fewer platelets due to following causes.

• Viral infections, including chickenpox, parvovirus, hepatitis C, Epstein-Barr, and HIV, systemic lupus erythematous (SLE), chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and drug-induced immune thrombocytopenia
• Sepsis, a severe bacterial infection in your blood
• Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), a bacteria that can live in your digestive system

Below are mentioned 7 Foods that will Naturally help in Increase Platelet Count.

1. Vitamin A Rich Foods

Vitamin A is essential for a healthy platelet production. This nutrient is known to be significant for protein formation in the body. Healthy protein content in the body helps in the process of cell division and growth. Some of the foods that you should ideally add to your daily diet may include carrot, pumpkin, kale and sweet potatoes.

2. Folate Rich Foods

Deficiency of folate in the body may lead to a lower blood platelet count. Add more vitamin B9 or folate rich foods that may be extremely important for healthy cell division in the body that can help increase blood platelet count. Include more orange juice, spinach, asparagus and leafy green vegetables in your diet.

3. Vitamin k Rich Foods

Foods to increase blood platelets include vitamin K rich foods. This nutrient is necessary to ensure a healthy growth of cells at an optimum level in the body. Eating kale, eggs, green leafy vegetables, liver, meat, cabbage, parsley, will help increase your blood platelet count.

4. Vitamin B-12 Rich Food

Vitamin B-12 may help keep your blood cells healthy and its deficiency has been associated with low platelet counts. Vitamin B-12 is generally found in eggs, milk and cheese.

5. Food Rich in Iron

Iron is known to promote the production of healthy cells in the body. It is best for the people with anemia. So include pumpkin seeds, pomegranate, lentils and leafy green vegetables in your diet to load up on iron.

6. Vitamin C Rich Food

Vitamin C is responsible for helping your platelets group together to function properly. It also helps the body to absorb iron that also contributes to increasing blood platelets. Add mangoes, broccoli, pineapple, tomatoes, bell peppers, cauliflower, Indian gooseberry or amla.

7. Wheat Grass

Wheat grass has been known to help elevate blood platelet count. Drinking a cup of wheat grass along with a drop of lemon juice may help increase blood platelets.

Avoid these foods items, canned and frozen foods and leftovers. The nutritional value of food deteriorates with time, White flour, white rice and processed foods. Hydrogenated, partially hydrogenated or trans-fats, Sugar, Dairy products, Meat, Alcoholic beverages. Foods that can interfere with blood clotting.

Stay healthy by taking above mentioned healthy foods and keep your platelet count healthy.