Beyond Platelet Counts: Evaluating Clinical Challenges and Treatment Approaches for Patients Living with ITP

A panelist discusses how immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is characterized by isolated low platelet counts due to autoimmune destruction, with classification based on duration (acute, extended, or chronic) and severity of thrombocytopenia.

A panelist discusses how ITP diagnosis remains one of exclusion requiring thorough testing to rule out other causes of thrombocytopenia, followed by patient education about autoimmune diseases and bleeding symptoms like nosebleeds, bruising, and petechiae.

A panelist discusses how bleeding risk assessment depends on platelet count levels (highest risk below 20,000), requiring careful medication history review to avoid drugs that impair platelet function like aspirin and NSAIDs.

A panelist discusses how ITP creates a chronic inflammatory state causing underrecognized symptoms like fatigue and joint pain that significantly impact patients' quality of life and ability to function, while recommending avoidance of activities that could cause head or internal injuries.