Haematologica Reports 2005; 1(issue 10):
30-33[prev][index][next]
Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura in
regnancy
Francesco Rodeghiero, Marco Ruggeri
Hematology Department, San Bortolo Hospital, Vicenza
Introduction
Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), also known as autoimmune
thrombocytopenic purpura (AITP) is an acquired disease of adults
and children, characterized by transient, self-limited (acute form)
or persistent (chronic form) decrease of the peripheral blood
platelet count (<150×109/L), due to a premature
destruction by the reticuloendothelial system.1 Adult
chronic ITP has an incidence of 58-66 new cases per million
population per year2 affecting mainly women of
childbearing age (female: male, 3:1).3 Consequently, haematologists
often manage pregnant women with a previous or de novo diagnosis of
ITP. The unique and particular characteristic of ITP in pregnancy
is that the physicians must treat, at the same time, both the
mother (differential diagnosis with other causes of
thrombocytopenia; effects of pregnancy on ITP; need of therapy) and
the fetus (assessment of the risk of neonatal thrombocytopenia; the
mode of delivery to minimize the hemorrhagic risk; need of a
specific treatment after partum).
The aim of this section is a brief review of the clinical aspects
of ITP in pregnancy.[>Read full article in
PDF]
