Immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) is a blood disorder characterized by a decrease in the number of platelets in the blood . Platelets are cells in the blood that help stop bleeding. A decrease in platelets can cause easy bruising, bleeding gums, and internal bleeding.
Is ITP a serious disease?
In the majority of people with ITP, the condition isn’t serious or life-threatening . Acute ITP in children often resolves within six months or less without treatment. Chronic ITP can last for many years. People can live for many decades with the disease, even those with severe cases.
What is the main cause of ITP?
Immune thrombocytopenia usually happens when your immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys platelets, which are cell fragments that help blood clot. In adults, this may be triggered by infection with HIV , hepatitis or H. pylori — the type of bacteria that causes stomach ulcers.
Is ITP disease fatal?
Yes, ITP can potentially be fatal . However, that could be said for virtually every disease, including many which are usually not very serious. Extremely rare but fatal complications can occur from strep throats, the common cold (which may lead to pneumonia), chickenpox, or what seems to be a mild case of indigestion.
Is ITP a form of leukemia?
ITP is known to be a diagnosis of exclusion and acute leukaemia happens to be a strong differential diagnosis. Other causes of thrombocytopaenia include myelophthisic marrow infiltration, myelodysplasia, aplastic anaemia, adverse drug reaction, systemic lupus erythematosus, HIV and other viral infections etc.
Can ITP cured completely?
Can ITP be cured completely? Chronic ITP isn’t curable . With chronic ITP, you’ll have remission periods when your symptoms improve for months or even years. But eventually chronic ITP symptoms recur.
Can you live a normal life with ITP?
ITP can be challenging . Nevertheless, with the help of the right treatment and a healthy lifestyle, it can be manageable. Here are some tips on how to take care of yourself, in addition to your treatment for persistent or chronic ITP.
What is the best treatment for ITP?
Two corticosteroids that may be prescribed for ITP are high-dose dexamethasone and oral prednisone (Rayos) . According to 2019 guidelines from the American Society of Hematology (ASH), adults newly diagnosed with ITP should be treated with prednisone for no more than 6 weeks.
Can ITP go away on its own?
The disease goes away by itself within two to six months . chronic ITP – this ongoing form accounts for most ITP seen in adults and is far less common in children. Chronic ITP has similar symptoms to acute ITP, except that it lingers for longer than six months.
Does ITP weaken immune system?
A: The specific cause of ITP is unknown, but it is known that ITP causes the body’s immune system to destroy healthy platelets that can lead to easy or excessive bruising or bleeding.
Does ITP get worse with age?
The incidence of ITP increases with age and is more common over the age of 60 . Among adults (age 30-60) diagnosed with chronic ITP, there are 2.6 cases among women for every case involving a male. In older adults, about the same number of men and women are diagnosed with ITP.
What is the survival rate of ITP?
However, long-term mortality estimates as well as cause-specific mortality data are sparse. In our population-based cohort of adult patients with newly diagnosed ITP and up to 37 years of follow-up, the 5-year, 10-year and 20-year mortality among the ITP patients was 22%, 34% and 49% , respectively.
Does ITP shorten lifespan?
Reduced life expectancy from related complications . There’s no cure for ITP . However, this doesn’t mean that ITP is fatal. Mortality directly related to ITP is rare, per a study published in the American Journal of Hematology .
What foods should you avoid with ITP?
- Canned and frozen foods and leftovers. The nutritional value of food deteriorates with time.
- White flour, white rice and processed foods. ...
- Hydrogenated, partially hydrogenated or trans-fats. ...
- Sugar. ...
- Dairy products. ...
- Meat. ...
- Alcoholic beverages. ...
- Foods that can interfere with blood clotting.
What cancers cause ITP?
Immune Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP) is in rare cases secondary to solid tumors, particularly breast cancer . In these cases, the clinical course of the ITP may follow the clinical course of the primary tumor, and remission of the ITP may be induced by treatment of the primary tumor.
Is ITP malignant?
Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is associated with an increased risk of hematologic malignancies, but data on the risk of developing solid tumors are either mixed, as with stomach and liver cancers, or largely unavailable.
