title: [Treatment of idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura in adults].
abstract: The lack of controlled studies of the treatment of idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), also known as immune thrombocytopenic purpura, means that no evidence-based recommendations are available. ITP is a benign disease and severe hemorrhages are rare. Oral prednisone remains the first-line treatment. In patients with very low platelet counts and significant bleeding, intravenous immunoglobulins and high-dose oral dexamethasone may be an alternative. A validated bleeding score would help physicians use these treatments more effectively. Splenectomy remains the best curative treatment for adults with chronic ITP and platelet counts <30 x 10(9)/L after failure of the first-line treatments. Rituximab is probably the single most effective agent, as well as the least toxic, when splenectomy fails: the short-term response rate is 50% and the sustained-response rate more than 30%. Cytotoxic or other immunosuppressive agents should be reserved for patients with severe disease refractory to both splenectomy and rituximab. Thrombopoietin receptor agonists are a class of new investigational drugs for which promising results have been reported, but more data regarding long-term safety are needed.
authors.affiliation: Centre de référence labellisé pour la prise en charge des cytopénies auto-immunes de l'adulte, Service de médecine interne, Assistance-Publique Hôpitaux de Paris APHP, Université Paris 12, Hôpital Henri Mondor, Créteil, France. bertrand.godeau@hmn.aphp.fr
authors.forename: Bertrand
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Godeau
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bierling
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D006801:Humans; D016553:Purpura, Thrombocytopenic, Idiopathic / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy*; D013156:Splenectomy