 | Joseph P. Galichia, MD is the founder and Medical Director of the Galichia Medical Group, PA. He is an internationally recognized pioneer in the field of interventional cardiology. In the 70's, Dr. Galichia studied in Zurich, Switzerland with the inventors of the balloon angioplasty technique for treating heart disease. As a result of his experience, he was able to bring this historic technique back to the United States where he was one of the first physicians to perform coronary angioplasty here. A noted medical spokesman, he appears on a weekly Newstalk segment on KWCH Channel 12 and has a weekly syndicated radio talk show on KNSS 1330 AM every Saturday live from 11:00 am to noon. Dr. Galichia may be contacted by sending an e-mail to service@galichia.com |
Health & Medicine
2002-12-01 09:12:00
High platelet count
: I am a 42 year old male. 13 years ago a routine blood test revealed that I had a very high platelet count (700,000 to 900,000). I have no symptoms, so they have just monitored me. My heart rate for years has been in the low 60's when resting. In January, when I saw my oncologist, it was normal, low 60's. Recently, I went to the Dr. because of a slow heart rate 42 BPM. The blood test was normal for me. They have monitored my heart rate/blood pressure weekly for a couple months. No change in heart rate. My blood pressure is usually about 129/78. My EKG was normal. Should I be concerned? I am moderately fit, but not one who exercises other than walking several times per week. I am not overweight.
ANSWER: Your platelet count is high and is being monitored by an oncologist. Certainly this is very important to you because if the platelet count were to get much higher some treatment may be initiated to lower this count and prevent clotting within your blood vessels. The normal platelet count is around 400,000 or less. Your slow heart rate of 42 is of concern to me. The fact that you are fit and well and exercise several times a week tells me you are tolerating this rate relatively well. There is always a concern when the heart rate falls below 50 or 45 and certainly 42 is a rate that is slower than normal for a patient your age. Younger and extremely fit athletes may have rates as low as mid 30's or sometimes even lower but these individuals are usually long distance runners or athletes who have achieved and extraordinary level of physical fitness. Furthermore, this level of fitness does not usually result in such a low heart rate, when one reaches age of the late 30's or early 40's. Further evaluation should be made to see what your response to exercise is i.e., a treadmill test would be good in this regard. Furthermore, a 24-hour EKG would be helpful to see if there are periods when your heart rate is even slower.In short, a good physical exam and some basic tests are indicated to make sure that you do not have a blocked artery or some other major problem to cause your rate to slow to cause your slow heart rate. Making sure that the blood flow to your heart is adequate is imperative, especially given the fact you have a high platelet count. If it is deemed, that your rate is too slow, a pacemaker maybe needed to keep your rate within a normal range. Pacemakers are relatively easy to install and are very helpful to keep your heart rate at the normal level.
