BACKGROUND Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) is a condition that often develops in young women and, consequently, physicians should frequently manage and monitor pregnant patients with this disorder. METHODS We reviewed the charts of 30 women with chronic ITP delivered in 31 pregnancies from January 1995 to December 2003. RESULTS Fifteen patients were diagnosed with ITP before pregn...

The recent large decrease in splenectomy use for chronic immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is partly due to still-unsolved questions about long-term safety. We performed the first single-center exposed/unexposed cohort study evaluating the long-term incidence of splenectomy complications in patients with primary ITP. Overall, 83 patients who underwent splenectomy more than 10 years ago (exposed) we...

AIM OF THE STUDY To evaluate the usefulness of splenectomy and factors which predict long term remission in chronic idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP). METHODS We reviewed the data of 364 patients diagnosed as chronic ITP between January 1983 to December 1996 of whom 71 patients underwent splenectomy. The patients were followed up for an average period of 58 months and the short and lo...

Although idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) is the most common autoimmune hematologic disorder, little is known about the associated autoantibodies on a molecular level. Consequently, diagnostic assays and therapy for ITP lack specificity. To avoid technical limitations imposed by B-cell immortalization methods, we used repertoire cloning (Fab/phage display) to clone platelet autoantibod...

Childhood idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) resolves usually after the first episode, although it may recur, and in 10% to 20% of patients develops into a chronic disorder. Evidence of the immunoregulatory role of Th1/Th2 responses in autoimmune diseases prompted us to perform a prospective study of Th1/Th2 gene expression profiles and transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) plasma l...

PURPOSE Laparoscopic splenectomy (LS) for pediatric chronic immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) patients has recently become widespread. However, its long-term result is rarely reported in children. METHODS We retrospectively analyzed the patients who underwent LS for pediatric chronic ITP from June 1998 to April 2007. RESULTS There were 18 patients (14 male and 4 female) with mean age 9....

The effects of B-cell depletion with rituximab on regulatory T cells (Tregs) have not been determined. We investigated Tregs in patients receiving rituximab for chronic idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP). The peripheral blood Tregs, identified as CD4+FOXP3+ T cells, were measured by flow cytometry prior to and after the immunotherapy. In addition, Tregs were analyzed for their usage of t...

Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) is a common hematologic disorder manifested by immune-mediated thrombocytopenia. The diagnosis remains one of exclusion, after other thrombocytopenic disorders are ruled out based on history, physical examination, and laboratory evaluation. The goal of treatment is to raise the platelet count into a hemostatically safe range. The disorder is usually chr...

Prof. Dr. Şinasi Özsoylu, Hacettepe Children’s Hospital, TR-06100 Ankara (Turkey) I have read with interest Barrios et al.’s paper on the ‘Treatment of Acute Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura with High-Dose Methylprednisolone and Immuno-globulin’ in a recent issue of the journal [1993;89:6-9]. The authors concluded that ‘the combined therapy resulted in rapid increments in the platelet counts...

Prof. Dr. Şinasi Özsoylu, Hacettepe Children’s Hospital, TR-06100 Ankara (Turkey) I have read with interest Barrios et al.’s paper on the ‘Treatment of Acute Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura with High-Dose Methylprednisolone and Immuno-globulin’ in a recent issue of the journal [1993;89:6-9]. The authors concluded that ‘the combined therapy resulted in rapid increments in the platelet counts...