Treatment
Treatment of thrombocytopenia depends on its cause and severity. If your thrombocytopenia is mild and is not caused by significant bleeding, your doctor may decide that you do not need treatment. This is often the standard strategy in children with acute ITP, because 80 to 90% of these children recover with treatment within 6 weeks.
If your thrombocytopenia is induced by drugs, your doctor may prescribe another medicine. Many people with drug-induced thrombocytopenia recover without additional treatment once the medication discontinued.
Patients with profuse bleeding require more aggressive treatments. Treatment options include:
Medications called glucocorticoids that are placed through a vein or by mouth or a medicine called immune globulin that is injected into a vein (intravenously). This is done to treat thrombocytopenia caused by an abnormal immune reaction.
Platelet transfusions: usually reserved for patients with thrombocytopenia and active bleeding or high risk of bleeding.
Splenectomy (surgical removal of the spleen) is often done to treat ITP that has not improved with other treatment. If the spleen is removed, thrombocytopenia goes away in 60% of patients with ITP. If the removal of the spleen does not solve the problem then may be prescribed immunosuppressant drugs such as azathioprine (Imuran), cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan, Neosar), vincristine (Oncovin and others) or vinblastine (Velban).
When To Call a Professional
Call your doctor if you develop any symptoms of thrombocytopenia, especially if you notice unusual bruising or if you experience heavy bleeding in the nose, mouth, vagina, rectum or urinary tract.
Forecast
The episodes of thrombocytopenia can be fatal, especially if the bleeding is severe or affects the brain. However, the prognosis is generally good, especially if the cause can be identified and eliminated. It is often successful long-term control of this disease.