Screening for platelet antibodies in adult idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura: a comparative study using solid phase red cell adherence assay and flow cytometry.
BACKGROUND
Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) is an autoimmune disorder caused by antiplatelet autoantibodies. In this study, we compared 2 methods for screening serum platelet antibodies in patients with ITP.


METHODS
A total of 44 adult patients were clinically classified with ITP. We used 2 indirect tests to detect human leukocyte antigen antibodies and/or platelet-specific antibodies in their sera. In method I, we used solid phase red cell adherence (SPRCA) assay. In method II, by flow cytometry, platelets from plateletpheresis components were used as target cells, and fluorescein isothiocyanate-conjugated sheep anti-human IgG Fc was used as the staining reagent. Positive results were defined as any test with the percentage of fluorescence exceeding the reference range by 3% or more in method II. Direct tests detecting platelet-associated IgG on platelets of patients with ITP were done by flow cytometry.


RESULTS
Serum specimens from 44 adult patients with ITP (28 female, 16 male) were tested. SPRCA assay could only detect platelet antibodies in 22 patients (50%). By method II, 31 serum specimens (70.5%) yielded positive results. There was a difference between the results of the SPRCA test and method II, with a high degree of significance (p < 0.001) by the McNemar test. No significant difference in platelet counts was observed for patients with and without discernible platelet antibodies by SPRCA assay (p = 0.90). The direct test was positive in 12 patients (66.7%) out of 18 ITP patients tested.


CONCLUSIONS
Flow cytometry is more sensitive than SPRCA assay for detecting platelet antibodies. Detection of platelet antibodies is useful in explaining the immune mechanism and platelet transfusion refractoriness in ITP.
Lin
Jeong-Shi
JS
Division of Transfusion Medicine, Department of Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C. jslin@vghtpe.gov.tw
Lyou
Jau-Yi
JY
Chen
Ying-Ju
YJ
Chen
Pei-Shan
PS
Liu
Hsueng-Mei
HM
Ho
Chao-Hung
CH
Hao
Tsung-Chi
TC
Tzeng
Cheng-Hwai
CH
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood*; D001792:Blood Platelets / Q000276:immunology*; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007104:Immune Adherence Reaction; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016553:Purpura, Thrombocytopenic, Idiopathic / Q000276:immunology*
D001323:Autoantibodies