Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura

Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura is a non-inherited autoimmune disease in which antibodies to the body's own platelets are formed. These are thereby degraded in the spleen and it comes, by a platelet deficiency, to a coagulation disorder.

From a platelet count of less than 100,000 per μL blood is called an ITP. Due to the reduced number of platelets, the clotting of the patient is disturbed and it comes to petechiae, hematomas and mucosal bleeding.

In about 1/3 of the cases the ITP is also asymptomatic. Large hematomas and bleeding in the joints, however, are rather atypical.

The ITP can be divided into a chronic and an acute course. In the acute form mostly children are affected. It appears suddenly and usually disappears spontaneously. The chronic form takes a creeping course and usually affects adults (more women than men).