Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
3
pubmed:dateCreated
2000-12-6
pubmed:abstractText
Childhood immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) is typically a benign, self-limiting disorder occurring in young (<10 years of age) previously healthy children. More than 80% of such children enter a complete sustained remission within a few weeks to a few months of initial presentation, irrespective of any therapy given. The major concern is the small but finite (0.1 to 0.9%) risk of intracranial hemorrhage, which occurs in children with very low platelet counts (<20 x 10(9)/L), and is the justification for treatment to increase the circulating platelet count. Effective treatment strategies are single-dose intravenous immunoglobulin G (IVIgG; approximately 1 g/kg) and medium to high-dose corticosteroids, administered orally or parenterally. The necessity for initial bone marrow aspiration and hospitalization continues to be debated. In children with chronic ITP, defined by persistence of thrombocytopenia for > or =6 months, splenectomy should be considered for the relatively small subgroup with symptomatic, severe thrombocytopenia who have either failed an adequate trial (> or = 12 months) of primary therapy (IVIgG, intravenous anti-D, corticosteroids) or are intolerant of such therapy. Laparoscopic splenectomy is preferred over open splenectomy. Children who fail to respond to splenectomy ( < or = 20% of cases) should be evaluated for the presence of accessory spleens; their management is often difficult and must be individualized. In severe refractory cases, second-line therapies (such as azathioprine or vinca alkaloids) need to be considered. Secondary ITP in children is relatively rare and is sometimes associated with other autoimmune cytopenias (Evan's syndrome, ITP with autoimmune neutropenia). These cases often respond poorly to conventional medical therapies and response rates to splenectomy are considerably lower than in children with primary chronic ITP.
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Jul
pubmed:issn
0037-1963
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:volume
37
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
299-314
pubmed:dateRevised
2007-11-15
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
2000
pubmed:articleTitle
Approach to the investigation and management of immune thrombocytopenic purpura in children.
pubmed:affiliation
Department of Pediatrics, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Review