Table of Contents
- Overview
- Symptoms
- Treatment
- Prevention
- Images
Immune thrombocytopenic purpura; ITP
Treatment
In children, the disease usually goes away without treatment. Some children, however, may need treatment.
Adults are usually started on an anti-inflammatory steroid medicine called prednisone. In some cases, surgery to remove the spleen (
If the disease does not get better with prednisone, other treatments may include:
- A medicine called danazol (Danocrine) taken by mouth
- Injections of high-dose gamma globulin (an immune factor)
- Drugs that suppress the immune system
- Filtering antibodies out of the blood stream
- Anti-RhD therapy for people with certain blood types
People with ITP should not take aspirin, ibuprofen, or warfarin because these drugs interfere with platelet function or blood clotting, and bleeding may occur.
Support Groups
Expectations (prognosis)
With treatment, the chance of remission (a symptom-free period) is good. Rarely, ITP may become a long-term condition in adults and reappear, even after a symptom-free period.
Complications
Sudden and severe loss of blood from the digestive tract may occur. Bleeding into the brain may also occur.
Calling your health care provider
Go to the emergency room or call the local emergency number (such as 911) if severe bleeding occurs, or if other new symptoms develop.
Images
Previous Section
Review Date: 03/28/2010
Reviewed By: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of
General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington
School of Medicine; James R. Mason, MD, Oncologist, Director, Blood
and Marrow Transplantation Program and Stem Cell Processing Lab,
Scripps Clinic, Torrey Pines, California. Also reviewed by David
Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)
