A patient with thrombocytopenia may have increased susceptibility to:

Correct answer: C. Both bleeding and infection

• A. Bleeding risk is present, but this is not the complete answer if infection susceptibility is also a relevant consideration in the broader hematologic picture (e.g., if thrombocytopenia coexists with other cytopenias from marrow suppression).
• B. Infection risk alone does not capture thrombocytopenia's hallmark complication of bleeding.
• C. Correct. While thrombocytopenia's hallmark risk is bleeding, depending on underlying etiology (e.g., bone marrow suppression affecting multiple cell lines), patients can have combined susceptibility to both bleeding and infection.
• D. Thrombocytopenia clearly increases at least bleeding risk, so 'neither' is incorrect.