title: Pathogenesis-oriented approaches for the management of corticosteroid-resistant or relapsedprimary immune thrombocytopenia.
abstract: Primary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is a complex autoimmune disorder in which the patient's immune system reacts with platelet autoantigens resulting in immune-mediated platelet destruction and/or suppression of platelet production. Corticosteroids can induce sustained remission rates in 50% to 75% of patients with active ITP. For these patients who are unresponsive to glucocorticoids, or relapsed after an initial response, multiple second-line treatment modalities can be chosen. However, how to make an optimal therapeutic strategy for a specific patient still remains a major challenge. As the pathogenetic heterogeneity of the ITP is increasingly identified, pathogenesis-oriented approach might offer an opportunity to improve the outcome of corticosteroid-resistant or relapsed ITP.
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology, Qilu Hospital, Shandong University, 107 West Wenhua Road, Jinan 250012, Shandong, China .
authors.forename: Xin-Guang
authors.initials: XG
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology, Qilu Hospital, Shandong University, 107 West Wenhua Road, Jinan, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Ming
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hou
keywords: ITP; Management; Pathogenesis