title: [Clinical-biological analysis of thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura in the General University Hospital of Alicante during 1983-2006].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Our study aimed to evaluate the patients diagnosed of thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura in our hospital during the last 23 years.
  
  
  METHODS
  We have made a retrospective study of the clinical records of 25 patients diagnosed of TTP between 1983-2005, describing the clinical, epidemiological and laboratory data.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty-five cases were diagnosed. Mean age was 39 years, 64% women and 36% men, 44% had suffered headaches, 4% fever, 32% neurological focality, 12% renal disorders, 36% hemorrhagic disease and 16% thromboembolic disease. TTP etiology was: 72% idiopathic, 8% pregnancy, 4% Human Immunodeficiency Virus, 4% myasthenia gravis, 4% pulmonary neoplasm and 4% puerperium. Medium hemoglobin level was 9 g/dl, leucocytes 8700/mm3 and platelets 12000/mm3. Patients received a median of 5 plasmapheresis. Mean time to relapse was two months. Other treatments for TTP were aspirin (16%), cyclosporine (4%), vincristine (4%) and splenectomy (4%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  PTT incidence in our region has increased in recent years, probably due to an increase in the immigrant population not included in the census, among the most relevant reasons. In our study, renal disorders and presence of fever were less frequently described than in other reports. There was no correlation between the number of plasmapheresis and likelihood of relapse. Most relapses were in idiopathic TTP.
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Hematología y Hemoterapia, Hospital General Universitario de Alicante, C/Maestro Alonso 109 s/n, 03010 Alicante, Spain. pepever2@mixmail.com
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Verdú
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fernández
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rivas
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Romero
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Soler
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Verdú
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011697:Purpura, Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013030:Spain