A retrospectıve follow-up study on the patıents wıth the ımmune thrombocytopenıc purpura.

Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (İTP) is the most common seen acquired bleeding disorder of childhood. İt has a benign course. Nevertheless, it has a great importance because of an organ bleeding risk and possibility of an existance of underlying serious disease and chronicity. İn our study we investigated retrospectively 86 patients diagnosed as İTP. Peak ages of the cases vvere 5 and 13 years. Except the intracranial bleeding, almost every type of bleeding vvere seen. We prefered corticosteroids for the first choice of treatment. 73 patients received high dose methylprednisolone for the treatment. 41 ofthem (47.6%) recovered totally. Immediate increase in the thrombocyte count after the corticosteroid therapy was observed in 79% of the patients. Chronicity rate was as high as 41.8% and the ages of this group vvere similar to that of the peek incidence ages. None of the patients died. Four patients, resistant to medical treatment went to splenectomy. Hovvever, the increase of thrombocyte count was permanent in only one case. One of the patients diagnosed as İTP was accepted as systemic lupus erythematosus three months later and one as Hodgkin lymphoma three years later. Patients with İTP should be monitered closely because of the bleeding risk and should be detected seriously because of an underlying disease risk and should be alert against the malignity or autoimmune disease at the chronic stage or after the remission phase.