title: Platelet recovery in patients with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura after eradication of Helicobacter pylori.
abstract: The relationship between Helicobacter pylori infection and idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) has been investigated in several studies. We investigated the prevalence of H. pylori infection and the clinical effects of eradication in 22 Japanese patients with chronic ITP. H. pylori infection was found in 14 (63.6%) of the patients by histologic and culture examinations of biopsy samples obtained by gastrointestinal endoscopy. H. pylori was eradicated by proton pump inhibitors and 2 kinds of antibiotics in 13 (92.9%) of the 14 patients in whom the results of treatment could be evaluated. Five (38.4%) of those 13 patients had platelet recovery (platelet count of more than 100 x 10(9)/L and an increase of more than 30 x 10(9)/L with respect to the baseline value) after eradication. The median follow-up period was 15 months. One patient who had a complete response had a partial relapse after cessation of prednisolone treatment without any evidence of H. pylori reinfection. Another patient, in whom H. pylori was not eradicated even after 2 treatment sessions, had a partial response after treatment. A screening examination for H. pylori infection may be necessary for Japanese patients with newly diagnosed ITP. Although the exact mechanism underlying platelet recovery after H. pylori eradication is not clear, the results of this study indicated that H. pylori eradication treatment is a good option for some patients with chronic ITP.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology and Hematology, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan. shashino@med.hokudai.ac.jp
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hashino
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mori
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Izumiyama
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kahata
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yonezumi
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Chiba
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kondo
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ota
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Toyashima
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kato
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Imamura
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Asaka
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001792:Blood Platelets / Q000166:cytology*; D016207:Cytokines / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology; D016480:Helicobacter pylori; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010976:Platelet Count; D015995:Prevalence; D016553:Purpura, Thrombocytopenic, Idiopathic / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology*
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines