Prevalence, Prognosis, and Outcome in Egyptian Children with Primary Immune Thrombocytopenia: A Single-Center Experience

Abstract

Background: Idiopathic (immune) thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) is a heterogeneous clinical disorder characterized by immune-mediated platelet destruction. ITP is usually a benign, self-limiting disease in children.

Objective: To assess prevalence, prognosis, and outcome of Egyptian children with primary immune thrombocytopenia.

Patients and Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried on 80 children (1-13 years) with primary ITP who presented to the Pediatric Hematology Unit and outpatient clinic of Zagazig University Hospitals, during the period from April 2020 to June 2021. Patients were divided into two groups; Group (1): included 20 healthy matched subjects (control), Group (2): included 60 patients with primary ITP. The group was subdivided into 3 subgroups, Subgroup (2A) included 20 patients with newly diagnosed ITP, Subgroup (2B) included 20 patients with persistentITP, and Subgroup (2C) included 20 patients with chronic ITP.

Results: There were significant differences between the studied groups in age, sex, and weight. There was a statistically significant association between prognosis and general characteristics of the studied ITP patients.

Conclusion: primary ITP in children is a nonthreatening and self-limited disease, usually lasting less than one year, and chronic form has different prognostic parameters. The use of these parameters can early distinguish children who are expected to have short and uneventful disease duration, to minimize their exposure to pharmaceutical intervention.