Treatment of autoimmune thrombocytopenic purpura

One hundred and two patients with newly diagnosed autoimmune thrombocytopenic purpura (ATP) were treated with prednisone (1.5-2 mg/kg/day for 4 weeks). A favourable response, lasting more then 12 months, was obtained in 22,5% of the cases. Different therapeutic strategies, such as immunosuppressive drugs, high dose immunoglobulins, splenectomy and others, were applied in unresponsive or relapsed patients. In our case study, splenectomy has proved the most satisfactory (87% of positive results) thus representing, in our opinion, the only effective therapy for resistant or relapsed case.