How does Wiskott-Aldrich affect Hunter?

Wiskott-Aldrich expresses itself in every person differently. While Hunter does not seem to have a classic case of the syndrome his platelets* are severely affected. We first found about his low platelet level, quite by accident, when he was two and a half months old. He had 31,000 platelets at that time. A normal person has between 150,000 and 400,000 platelets. Hunter has had fewer than 5000 since August of 2008. This means the platelets in his blood are undetectable.

When a person has less than 15,000 platelets there is a strong concern about an injury to the head and bleeding on the brain. Hunter wears a soft helmet as a safety precaution when he is active. No matter how careful Hunter is or how careful we are with Hunter bruises, patichea and contusions present themselves all over his body at any time.

* A platelet is a type of blood cell that helps prevent bleeding by causing blood clots to form.