Useful terms

It is important that your blood clots to stop you from bleeding when you’re cut or hurt. However, if a blood clot forms when it doesn’t need to then it can be very dangerous. Find out more about blood clots.

A test on a sample of blood that count how many of each type of blood cell is present.

The soft, spongy centre inside your bones where platelets are made.

This is a legal requirement for when you agree for something to happen to you. This may involve signing a form to agree that you are happy to do something, like have an operation. If you don’t want to agree to something then you don’t have to and you can discuss this with your doctor or nurse.

This describes something that persists over a long period of time, or something which is constantly recurring. For example, your liver disease is referred to as chronic because it persists over a long period of time.

This is the name that a healthcare professional gives to your symptoms which helps them to ensure that you receive the best treatment possible. If you are receiving Mulpleo it is because you have been diagnosed with severe thrombocytopenia due to your chronic liver disease and need to undergo a procedure.

This is the amount of medicine that you are supposed to take at a certain time. For Mulpleo you need to take one tablet, once a day, for 7 days. If you are worried about remembering to take your Mulpleo, you can set up our text reminder service and also download our dose reminder card – view these helpful resources.

A healthcare provider/professional is any member of your healthcare team, this could be the specialist or nurse you see about your chronic liver disease, or your GP at a routine check-up.

A type of substance that acts as a messenger in the body and helps control some of the many processes your body is carrying out.

This is a medical procedure that involves physically opening up the body, such as a taking a biopsy, extracting a tooth or removing body tissue. If you are taking Mulpleo it is because you are due to have an invasive procedure.

The liver is an organ in your body that is important for removing toxins from your body, and for producing and keeping control of producing chemicals in your body.

This is the international/generic name for your medicine and is often used by doctors. Mulpleo is lusutrombopag’s brand name which is used as it is easier to remember (and say!). However some medicines may have different brand names in different countries.

As part of your treatment for chronic liver disease, you may need to have an operation, in which a doctor will look inside your body and potentially remove, replace or fix an unhealthy part of your body. They might also call this ‘surgery’.

These are a type of cell made in the bone marrow that move around the bloodstream. When you are cut or hurt, they bunch together to form a plug to stop you from bruising or bleeding.

A way of replacing platelets in your bloodstream that may not be there due to your thrombocytopenia. Platelet transfusions rely on blood donations, in which people will donate blood to help ‘top up’ the platelets of those who need them.

This is what your doctor will write to let the pharmacist know what medicine you need. You will be given a prescription so that you can get your Mulpleo.

These are specialist healthcare professionals who diagnose and treat problems you may be having in your body with machines that take photo images of things like the liver, using techniques such as X-rays, CT scans and image-guided minimally invasive procedures.

This can be used to describe a procedure that is not an emergency but that nevertheless is scheduled to happen at some point in the future. If you are taking Mulpleo, it is because you are due to undergo a scheduled/elective procedure.

As part of your treatment for chronic liver disease, you may need to have an operation, in which a doctor will look inside your body and potentially remove, replace or fix an unhealthy part of your body. They might also call this ‘an operation’.

Used to describe any signs of a disease, illness or condition. If you noticed anything unusual then you should speak to your healthcare provider.

This is a condition in which you have low numbers of platelets, which are a type of cell that bunch together when you are cut or hurt to form a plug to stop you from bruising or bleeding.

A hormone which controls the production of platelets, which are a type of cell that bunch together to form a plug when you are cut or hurt to help stop bruising and bleeding.