How to Treat Purpura

A purpura is a small hemorrhage into the skin. It frequently indicates bleeding from a body cavity or tissue and may be a symptom of a variety of disorders, usually some type of platelet deficiency. Thrombocytopenic purpura is a condition where a low platelet count causes easy bruising that appears as purpura. The following steps will show how to treat thrombocytopenic purpura.

Instructions

• 1

  Increase the platelet count to a safe level. This should be the immediate goal of any treatment of purpura while its cause is being addressed. Thrombocytopenic purpura has no cure and relapses are common, even years after treatment.

• 2

  Administer corticosteroids such as oral prednisone or intravenous methylprednisolone as the preferred choice for the initial treatment of thrombocytopenic purpura. Perform needed bone marrow aspirations before treatment with corticosteroids as these drugs can change the morphology of the bone marrow.

• 3

  Use intravenous immunoglobulin as a second method for treating thrombocytopenic purpura. Patients who are Rh(D) positive may be given intravenous Rho immunoglobulin instead if their hemoglobin concentration is greater than 8 g/dL.

• 4

  Transfuse platelets to control the bleeding. This procedure should not be used as a prophylactic measure because the transfused platelets will have a decreased circulation and repeated transfusions may cause platelet alloimmunization.

• 5

  Perform a splenectomy on some patients with acute thrombocytopenic purpura for a complete and lifelong remission. A splenectomy is frequently less effective in patients with chronic thrombocytopenic purpura. The platelet counts in these patients may not completely return to normal and relapses are common.