Arafat's blood tests 'show low platelet count'

Yasser Arafat’s blood tests revealed a low platelet count, his doctors said today, in the first official statement on the Palestinian leader’s medical condition.

The physicians said there could be a variety of causes for a low platelet count, including cancer, and that further testing was needed.

Arafat was to be flown to Paris from Ramallah, on the West Bank, on Friday for treatment.

Arafat’s personal physician, Dr. Ashraf Kurdi, said there was no immediate threat to Arafat’s life.

“His condition is good, his spirits are high,” Kurdi said of the Palestinian leader.

Platelets are blood components that aid in clotting. A low count can be caused by many medical problems, including bleeding ulcers, colitis, blood cancers such as leukaemia and lymphoma, liver disease, lupus and chickenpox.

The platelet count also can be low because of treatment with blood thinners.

Patients often are given transfusions of these blood products, but successful treatment depends on what is causing the condition.