|  | Conditions Treatments | Viruses

Immune Thrombocytopenia Pupura

Immune thrombocytopenia pupura, more commonly referred to as immune thrombocytopenic purpura or ITP, is a condition that affects many people. Those who have it have a tendency to bleed more than others. This can lead to life-threatening situations. Treatments can help people with ITP live with and manage the disease.

  1. Function

    • In ITP, a person's blood platelets adversely affected by the body's immune system for an unknown reason, according to Medscape. In people with this condition, due to the blood platelets being covered with autoantibodies, the platelets do not live for as long as they normally do in a healthy body. Bone marrow megakaryocytes try to compensate for the problem but only make it worse. This leads to the blood platelet count being much lower it should be in a normal person. ITP can't be passed from person to person.

    Statistics

    • According to Medscape, children are more affected by the disease than adults. There are about 5 incidents per 100,000 children, compared to only 2 incidents per 100,000 adults. In both children and adults, females are more often afflicted than males. If children develop the disease, it is usually when they are between 1 and 6 years old. While adults are at risk at any age, ITP is most likely to affect women between 30 and 40 years old. It is rare for patients older than 60 to get ITP.

    Symptoms

    • The most common symptom people have are bruises, according to the National Heart Lung Blood Institute. These bruises can appear in mucous membranes like the mouth or on the skin. People with ITP can have bleeding that takes the form of small bruises that look like dots, called petechiae, on the skin. This often looks like a rash. Nosebleeds are also common with those with ITP. The gums are also prone to bleed in some instances. For women, ITP may cause them to have menstrual bleeding that is more severe than usual.

    Types

    • ITP has two types, according to the National Heart Lung Blood Institute: acute and chronic. People with acute ITP usually only have the condition for less than six months, and acute is the most common type of the condition. It occurs mostly in children. Chronic ITP mostly affects adults, and it is the most long-lasting. Patients with it can have the condition for well over six months. Women are more likely to be infected.

    Treatment

    • The condition is usually not life-threatening, according to the National Heart Lung Blood Institute. Medscape states the condition has no cure; it can only be managed. Corticosteroids like oral prednisone are most often given to patients. IV immunoglobulin is the second most common treatment. Children with acute ITP most often don't need treatment. In some cases, surgery is required and a splenectomy is the most recommended one. It usually results in a life-long remission of ITP.

Viruses - Related Articles