Immune Thrombocytopenic Purpura

Question: Does ITP (immune thrombocytopenic purpura) weaken your immune system?

Answer: Not by itself. The decrease in platelet count in the blood will manifest as bleeding/bruising of various types. Steroids are sometimes given to treat ITP, and they cause immunocompromise. Also, a splenectomy is often done to treat ITP, and your immune system is markedly weakened after your spleen is removed.

Question: how to increase my platelet count.? for past 3 months i am suffering from immune thrombocytopenic purpura.now i m having platelet count of 30,000.so can u give me some tips to increase platelet count.

Answer: Corticosteroids is often the first choice of treatment, and sometimes removal of the spleen if necessary. Different doctors have their own preferences for the wide variety of treatments available. The reason for this is that ITP is typically very difficult to treat and individual responses to treatment varies. There is not a lot you can do yourself except to avoid aspirin and ibuprofen because these interfere with platelet function and can cause bleeding, and avoid contact sports or other activity that increases your risk of injury. Best wishes.

Question: What's the best way I can help someone? I AM DYING,...but I wanna be with you" - Fatema Full Name: FATEMA-TUZ-ZOHORA (ANIKA) Dept: CSE, ID: 07310064 BRAC University She is in Dhaka CMH (Combined Military Hospital) ICU, suffering from Acute ITP (Immune Thrombocytopenic Purpura). She needs more than £10,000 in the next six months to continue her treatment... or else she won't make it. If she doesn't make it... we won't see her at the University anymore at our hangouts singing at the cultural programs pulling the pranks on us laughing and cracking jokes ... she won't ever see the sun rise again or set! She WANTS to live... We NEED her to live... Will you contribute and GIVE US OUR FRIEND BACK??? What if it was me at her place... would you've cared? What if it was your best friend? girlfriend? Sister... Mother? Would you still ignore this message? ... ask yourself..how to SAVE HER...!!!!!!! here is her web site : http://www.savefatema.com/

Answer: That's so stupid, why do people do this S.H.I.T

Question: Swine flu and auto-immune conditions? I have ITP (idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura) and just wondering how swine flu might affect me. I was taking prednisolone for 5 months, but was tapered off it and stopped taking it 3 months ago. If you come into contact with it or catch it, will your body just create antibodies to fight swine flu, or will it stimulate the whole immune system, meaning that it fights swine flu, but also generates more of the antibodies that munch through platelets? I'm already following all the usual common sense advice, washing hands, using a tissue, carrying on life as normal etc - I'm not worrying about dying from swine flu, I'm more concerned about how it might affect my platelet count, given that it was at 68 six weeks ago and is dropping (I think I'm below 50 now). I really don't want to go back on the steroids if I can possibly avoid it! Bek I think you have misunderstood - I'm not worried about the symptoms of swine flu, especially if at worst it's just a bad cold. What I am concerned about is it crashing my platelet count and me having a spontaneous brain haemmorrhage. I am just as annoyed about the unnecessary panic amongst healthy people as the next person.

Answer: The main risk was the Presnisolone you were taking as it results in a suppressed immune response, meaning you are at an increased risk of infections. It's good you have been tapered off them. Swine flu is a viral infection and just like any other viral infection if a patient with ITP catches swine flu, it can drop the platelet count. Just keep an eye out for any change in the pattern of bleeding or bruising. And as might happen with all viral infections there may be a increase or suppression of the white cell count and some might find they have a drop in haemoglobin. If you think you have come into contact witih swine flu and/or start developing symptoms then as your GP for Tamiflu. There is no evidence that Tamiflu should adversely affect the ITP.