About ITP

ITP in Children

"An observant parent's evidence may be disproved but should never be ignored"
Lancet 1:688, 1951 Anonymous

ITP in children is often considered a different disease than ITP in adults because it goes into remission more easily. According to Dr. Bussel, a children's ITP specialist in NYC, 80% of children become well again within 6 - 12 months. In most cases, their ITP goes away within the first two months, tends not to lead to other problems, and does not return. The most feared complication is intracranial hemorrhage, a bleed to the brain, like a stroke. Fortunately, this is rare, occurring in less than .5 to 1.0% of the cases.

However short or long the ITP timeframe is for a child, it is often difficult. The contents of this page is designed to help make the ITP journey easier.

For more information see: http://www.itpfoundation.org/News___Events.htm

Photo Album

Click on links below to view pictures of children diagnosed with ITP.

Frequently Asked Questions

Click here to view a list of frequently asked questions about ITP in children.

Children's Discussion Group

There is a wonderful discussion group on this site devoted to the special needs of ITP in children. Click Here.

Protecting your Child

Click on this link for a list of suggestions to help manage your child's ITP.
Children's Hospital of Boston activity suggestions

Registry

The Intercontinental Childhood ITP Study Group (ICIS) has initiated two registries for children with ITP. Registry II follows bleeding patterns over time. It will further the understanding about the progression of ITP and help determine those children at high risk for serious bleeding. The Splenectomy Registry will track the responses, management and safety of splenectomy in children.

For more information see: http://www.unibas.ch/itpbasel/

If your child is between the ages of 4 months and 20 years and newly diagnosed or you are considering a splenectomy for your child, contact your physician about participating. The registry information will be a big help to researchers studying ITP.

Vaccinations

According to researchers in the UK, one in every 22,300 MMR vaccinations will result in admission to a hospital for ITP. For assistance on vaccine decisions, see http://www.909shot.com

Diseases

Chicken Pox and other childhood diseases can cause more severe problems or even death when the immune system is depressed by corticosteroids (ex. prednisone).

Treatments

Treatments for children are similar to the treatments for adults. Often IVIg or WinRho is used to sustain a reasonable count until the child's own immune system can overcome the disease.
Often children respond to alternative treatments such as Vitamin C.

Of special note is this clinical study of an herbal treatment in children.

Interesting Article

Source: The Lancet, August 30, 1997 v350 n9078 p620(4).
Title: Assessment of UK practice for management of acute childhood idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura against published guidelines.

Author: P.H.B. Bolton-Maggs and I. Moon

Abstract: Many UK physicians do not appear to be following the 1992 guidelines for the treatment of idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) in children. ITP is bruising or bleeding into the skin caused by a decrease in blood platelets, which promote blood clotting. Researchers surveyed UK pediatricians and hematologists to see how they were treating childhood ITP.

Even though 76% of the 427 children had mild cases of ITP, many physicians were treating them aggressively with hospitalization, intravenous immunoglobulins and platelet transfusions. This is contrary to the guidelines, which state that mild cases may not require treatment.

Kids' Stories

Our new story section. Perhaps you have a story to add. Click Here

ITP Camp

The Double "H", Hole in the Woods Ranch, under the guidance of Paul Newman and Charles Wood, is a camp in upstate New York designed to provide a memorable experience for children 6-16 years of age. Youngsters with cancer and other blood related disorders (including ITP) are welcome. Aside from transportation, there is no charge to attend. Call the ranch office at (518) 696-5676 or (718) 525-0310 for an application.