Ever since the pediatrician diagnosed low platelets in my son, i have been a nervous wreck. what does it mean?

Further evaluation: Low platelets can be caused by a variety of illnesses, as well as by medications. The underlying cause needs to be established. This is frequently done by a hematologist, or a pediatric hematologist if your son is less than about 18 years old.

Talk to pediatrician: Low platelet counts may be normal, depending on the actual count. Low platelets count may be due to underproduction of excessive destruction. Counts below 40k may be associated with abnormal bleeding. It would be good to talk to the pediatrician.

How low?: If junior wasn't hospitalized at once (i.e., he did not have an extremely low count), he'll undergo an outpatient workup. There are a host of illnesses, semi-illnesses, and non-illnesses that can produce a low platelet count. A simple viral illness he may not even realize he has can drop them for a few weeks. Do follow it up.

Hard to say: Low platelets is not a diagnosis, it is a sign like fever. The need for any concern would depend on the cause.Sometimes it is a simple lab error, a low end of the normal, a response to a minor illness or something major. Sounds like you need to direct this question to the pediatrician who did the test.