From heparins, the level of platelets in the blood sometimes sharply decreases. This happens from both conventional heparin and expensive low molecular weight heparins. And what happens is completely unpredictable. Neither the amount of heparin, nor the duration of its use, matters. Just no luck. This happens to one person in 500.
What do you think will happen to blood clotting when the platelet count falls due to heparin?
Not guessing. There will be terrible thrombosis.
I will explain. Our platelets secrete a bunch of different chemicals. Including the so-called platelet factor number "4". This factor combines with heparin floating in the blood.
For some reason, our immunity is very angry when it encounters such a complex of heparin and platelet factor 4. After 5 - 10 days, antibodies are produced, which, like ants, cling to this complex.
Antibodies are so pugnacious that they attack platelets at the same time.
This whole company sticks together into one big heap.
The fight continues until all the participants crowd into the spleen. There, immune cells quickly put things in order and remove beaten platelets from the circulation. Therefore, the level of platelets in the blood decreases.
On average, platelets fall somewhere to 60 to ten to the ninth power per liter.
Unfortunately, not all fighters get into the spleen. Some of them continue to float in the blood and pick up more and more platelets on the way.
From this, blood clots form in different organs. Clogged arteries in arms, legs, skin. Some parts of the body can become dead.
If you do not interrupt the process, then about one in five patients die.
That is why it is advisable not to use heparin unnecessarily.
