Is there any permanent treatment for ITP?
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Treatment is considered for patients who have: Show
If treatment is necessary, the most common treatments include:
If initial treatments are not effective, the following treatments can be tried:
In addition, individuals with ITP may need to make lifestyle changes, including:
This might sound surprising, but getting diagnosed with immune thrombocytopenia (also known as idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, or ITP) can come as a relief. You can figure out ITP treatment, of course—and you finally have an explanation for those mysterious bruises and other strange symptoms. ITP causes your immune system to create antibodies that attack your platelets (the cells that help your blood clot), according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). This puts you at risk of excessive bleeding that can be dangerous if it’s severe enough. There are actually two types of ITP, according to the NHLBI: Acute ITP, which usually lasts fewer than six months and is most common in children, and chronic ITP, which sticks around for six months or longer and is most common in adults. While there’s no cure for chronic ITP, there are a number of treatments available to help keep symptoms at bay. Here’s what you need to know about whether you need to treat your chronic ITP and what options may be available for you. Here’s how to know when you need ITP treatment.ITP doesn’t actually always demand treatment. Around 30 percent of adults make a spontaneous recovery within a year, according to the , so your doctor may take a “watch and wait approach,” Elizabeth A. Roman, M.D., a pediatric hematologist and oncologist at New York University Langone Health, tells SELF. However, there are some signs that you might need to get treatment for your ITP. “ITP is [a] waxing and waning disease in which the platelet count can fluctuate up and down,” Anupama Nehra, M.D., clinical director of hematology/oncology at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey at University Hospital, tells SELF. “Most adults with chronic ITP will need treatment at some point in the disease journey.” If you notice symptoms like the aforementioned unexplained bruises, a rash of tiny red dots on your skin, an unbearably heavy period, blood in your pee or poop, sudden nosebleeds, and gums that randomly bleed, it’s probably time to explore treatments—especially if you’ve noticed these symptoms for longer than six months, which can indicate chronic ITP. You might also need treatment for ITP if you get a blood test that shows your platelet count has fallen below 10,000 platelets per microliter of blood, which could put you at risk of internal bleeding, according to the Mayo Clinic. (Johns Hopkins Medicine puts the normal platelet count range at 150,000 to 450,000, just to put this in perspective.) And if you’ve got a dental procedure or surgery lined up, you might need treatment to boost your platelet count ahead of your appointment, Roman adds. Finally, your lifestyle might be reason enough to get treatment for chronic ITP. If you’re an athlete or you work in a field where you could easily get injured (say, construction), you may want to find a treatment, given the higher than usual chance of getting hurt. Same goes for people who are (normally) frequent travelers and might not always have easy access to a hospital on the road in case of emergencies, as well as people who are tired of dealing with really heavy periods every month or those who feel like low platelet counts are sapping their energy. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach, so talk about your situation with your doctor to figure out what’s right for you. What are the options for chronic ITP treatment?Treatments options for chronic ITP range from daily medications to weekly injections and even surgery. It’s a good idea to read up on your options ahead of your doctor’s appointment, Terry B. Gernsheimer, M.D., professor of hematology at the University of Washington School of Medicine, tells SELF. “Your physician may have only a few patients with ITP and the most up-to-date information will be helpful,” she says. Treatment for chronic ITP can be tricky, Gernsheimer notes. Medications don’t always work for everyone and can cause side effects. Some treatments can be expensive or require weekly doctor’s appointments. Plus, you might find that a treatment becomes less effective over time and feel as though you’re back to the drawing board. You’ll need to work closely with your doctor to treat chronic ITP for the long term. With all that being said, you have quite a few treatments to consider. Here are some of the options for chronic ITP treatment. 1. Corticosteroids While figuring out a long-term treatment for your chronic ITP, your doctor may start you on corticosteroids to get your platelets up to a safer threshold in the short term, according to the Mayo Clinic. “These medicines suppress the immune system and decrease the destruction of the platelets,” Neil Morganstein, M.D., who specializes in hematology and oncology at Overlook Medical Center’s Carol G. Simon Cancer Center, tells SELF. Corticosteroids can be an extremely effective treatment, Gernsheimer says. But with long-term use, steroids can also come with side effects like elevated blood pressure, elevated blood sugar levels, insomnia, and increased risk of infections, the Mayo Clinic says. Because of this, doctors will mainly prescribe them in the short term to get your platelet levels up quickly and figure out a different long-term solution for your chronic ITP. 2. Thrombopoietin receptor agonists Thrombopoietin receptor agonists are a relatively new treatment for chronic ITP, yet have already shown to be quite effective. They stimulate the bone marrow to produce platelets, Gernsheimer says, thus helping boost your platelet count. There are multiple thrombopoietin receptor agonists out there, and depending on which one you’re using, you might take the medicine as a daily pill or a weekly shot. While some people can taper off of thrombopoietin receptor agonists and maintain their platelet counts, most people with chronic ITP who are using this kind of drug will need to continue with their pills or injections indefinitely, Roman says. 3. Intravenous immunoglobulin If your platelets drop to critically low levels and your doctor wants to turn things around quickly, they might opt to treat you with intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg), Gernsheimer says. The active ingredient in this medication is immunoglobulins, or antibodies, which come from donor plasma, according to the American College of Rheumatology. People with chronic ITP may see higher platelet counts as soon as 24 hours after getting IVIg, and they’ll typically remain high for about a month, Gernsheimer says. However, the treatment takes a while—, typically—and can cost around $10,000 per session (which insurance may not cover). This is why IVIg is usually reserved for emergency situations. Unlike some of the other treatment options on this list, IVIg doesn’t increase your risk of infection, according to the American College of Rheumatology. However, it can cause side effects like fever, chills, headache, and more. 4. Rituximab Infusions of a medication called rituximab can also be used to treat chronic ITP. This drug is a type of monoclonal antibody, which is a lab-designed protein that can bind to specific cells, according to the National Cancer Institute. Rituximab helps suppress the immune response that’s destroying your platelets, according to the Mayo Clinic, which can ultimately increase your platelet count. Rituximab can work well as a chronic ITP treatment, Gernsheimer says, but it does have some drawbacks. The includes injections once a week for a month—and your first infusion can take four to six hours, with the following ones clocking in around three to four hours. And while it helps stop the destruction of your platelets, rituximab can make your vaccines less effective, the Mayo Clinic notes. This can be an issue overall but is especially a concern if your chronic ITP treatment involves removing your spleen, which increases your risk of infection. 5. Other immunosuppressives A number of immunosuppressive drugs can also be effective against chronic ITP, Gernsheimer says. These medicines work by reducing the activity of the entire immune system, which can boost the platelet count in people with ITP. These drugs are generally only an option if rituximab doesn’t work. Some immunosuppressives can cause more side effects than you may want to deal with, which is why many people with chronic ITP choose alternative treatments, according to a report from the American Society of Hematology. 6. Splenectomy If medications just aren’t working enough to treat your chronic ITP or your condition is very severe, your doctor may suggest removing the organ that’s destroying your platelets: your spleen. Splenectomies are not so much a cure for chronic ITP, but rather a way to raise a person’s platelet counts more significantly, and the procedure doesn’t work for everyone, according to the Mayo Clinic. While splenectomies used to be one of the first-choice treatments for chronic ITP, they’ve fallen out of favor in recent years, says Gernsheimer. With that being said, this surgery might still be on the table for some people with chronic ITP. So talk to your doctor if you’re interested, but as we mentioned above, be aware that splenectomy puts you at long-term risk for serious infections. Your doctor may even prescribe you antibiotics as a preventive measure, according to the Mayo Clinic. So how do you know which treatment is right for you?Finding the right treatment will require a lot of coordination with your doctor and probably some trial and error, Gernsheimer says. Medications don’t always work right away—or at all—and even one that you’ve used for a while can stop being as effective. Plus, you’ve got to weigh the benefits of any treatment against potential downsides, like side effects, cost, and impact on your life (sitting in the clinic with a needle in your body for multiple hours isn’t for everyone). The good news is that chronic ITP doesn’t have to rule your life. There are plenty of therapies out there that are worth a try, depending on your goals and the state of your health, so talk to your doctor about what might be appropriate for you. Being proactive about treatment not only can help you get your platelet counts where they need to be, but it can also help you feel more in control of your health. Plus, it might help those bruises go away for good. What is the best treatment for ITP?Medications to treat ITP may include:. Steroids. Your doctor will likely start you on an oral corticosteroid, such as prednisone. ... . Immune globulin. If corticosteroids don't help, your doctor may give you an injection of immune globulin. ... . Drugs that boost platelet production. ... . Other drugs.. What is the latest treatment for ITP?Newer treatments, such as the thrombopoietin receptor agonists, have transformed ITP care. They have high efficacy, are well tolerated and improve patients' quality of life.
Is ITP a permanent condition?ITP can be acute (short-term) or chronic (long-term). Acute ITP often lasts less than 6 months. It mainly occurs in children — both boys and girls — and is the most common type of ITP. Chronic ITP lasts 6 months or longer and mostly affects adults.
Is there a permanent cure for ITP?A: While there is no cure for ITP, many patients find their platelet count improves following treatment. What proves difficult for many ITP patients is finding the treatment that works for them without unwanted side effects. Some patients report that changing their diet or lifestyle helps them feel better.
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