Uke 31: ITP - clinical practice

Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is an autoimmune disease characterized by isolated thrombocytopenia. Patients may be asymptomatic at presentation or they may present with mild mucocutaneous to life-threatening bleeding. Although only 5% of patients with ITP present with severe bleeding,¹ bleeding leading to hospital admission within 5 years after diagnosis develops in approximately 15%.² Irrespective of bleeding problems, patients with ITP often report fatigue and impaired health-related quality of life.³ The risk of venous thromboembolism is twice as high among patients with ITP as among persons in the general population; the management of venous thromboembolism may be especially problematic given the concomitant risk of bleeding.⁴