keywords: platelets platelet arafat blood clotting
text: A Look at Arafat's Low Platelet Count (AP) AP - Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat has been sick for the past two weeks, and blood tests indicate he has a low platelet count. Platelets are tiny components of blood that help the clotting process by sticking to the lining of blood vessels. Produced in the bone marrow, platelets are vital to life, preventing massive blood loss from trauma.