Platelets are blood cells that produced in the bone marrow and destroyed in the spleen and liver. Platelets circulate in the bloodstream for about 10 days. Platelets are responsible for stopping the bleeding.

Thrombocytopenia is a condition in which you have a lower platelets than normal (150,000 to 400,000 platelets per microliter) blood platelet count. There are many causes of thrombocytopenia, such as abnormalities of the bone marrow, as well as conditions that can reduce platelet count in the body, such as idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).