Presentation on ITP

7/29/2019 Presentation on ITP

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Presentation on

ITPBy James Runco

Everyone bleeds sometimes,

I just bleed more.


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ITP

ITP stands for

Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura

but it is also frequently called:

Immune Thrombocytopenic Purpura or

Idiopathic Thrombocytopenia


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Background Information

There are three Basic types of blood cells

made in the marrow of the bones each

with their own specialized jobs.

Red Blood Cells (Rbcs) Carry Oxygen

White Blood Cells (Wbcs) Protect your body from infection

Platelets (Plts) Help your help your body to heal injuries


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This is a Picture of Normal Blood

Cells


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What ITP does.

ITP is an autoimmune disease during which your

bodys immune system attacks and destroys

your platelets.

The body releases auto-antibodies whichchemically tag its own cells as foreign

White blood cells then seek out and destroy

platelets as if they were fighting an infection

This causes a rapid drop in the level of platelets in

a persons body


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More about ITP

This Thrombocytopenia (lowered platelet level) is

Idiopathic, (without known cause) and can be

triggered at any time.

Platelets are a specialized form of blood cells thatare absolutely essential for your blood to clot.

When they are attacked by the White Blood cells it

can be disastrous.

Your body is left unable to mend any cuts or stop

bleeding even from the smallest internal injuries


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Symptoms of ITP

Excessive bleeding with

minor injuries

Spontaneous bleeding from

the mouth and nose

Unexplainable orspontaneous bruising

Excessive internal bleeding

Disturbed sleep cycle/

Insomnia Irregular appetite

Depression


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Depression and ITP Continued

This L-Tryptophan is able to pass through

the blood brain barrier, so its loss is the

probable cause of the sleep/ eating

irregularities.


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This is Jane


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Normal Platelet Counts


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Thrombocytopenic Platelet Counts


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This is Jane with ITP


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Causes

The exact causes of ITP are as yet unknown, butthere is currently research going on to try anddetermine what causes this disease.

There are many theories, most state that ITP is amultifactorial disease with a strong geneticpredisposition.

Researchers are currently looking for multiple

instances of ITP in a family, and have found thatin some cases ITP can be passed from motherto child.


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Moms and ITP

There seems to be aconnection between ITPand pregnancy. Apreviously normal woman

can sometimes developITP during a pregnancy.

Pregnancies are much moredangerous for womenwith ITP, both because

their platelet counts candrop and because of thebleeding involved withdelivery.


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Theories

Three most common theories for ITP are:

The Microbial Trigger Theory

The Molecular Mimicry Theory and

The Free Radical Damage Theory


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The Microbial Trigger Theory

Links the destruction of platelets to a chemicalcalled interleuken 12 that is released when thebody is fighting a bacterial infection

They believe that in some people thisinterleuken 12 can inadvertently activatedormant self reactive cells that then convinceyour body that a cell near the bacteria is alsopart of the infection

If that cell is a specialized platelet then youwould develop ITP


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The Molecular Mimicry Theory

This theory says that someone can develop ITPwhen the bodies T helper cells recognize a viralor bacteria amino acid sequence that happensto occur on the surface of a platelet

Normally T helpers that would target somaticcells are inhibited by other immune agents.

If there is a malfunction in the production ofthese inhibiting agents then the self reactive T

helper cells are free to target platelets fordestruction


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Free Radical Damage Theory

DNA is damaged by free radicals

Free radicals are compounds that build up

in the body, which need electrons in order

to become stable

If they steal these electrons from DNA

they can cause mutations which could

effect the immunes system, and possibly

trigger ITP or other Autoimmune diseases.


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Diagnosis

ITP is often the Diagnosed by its symptoms. It isfrequently the diagnosis when all other blooddiseases are ruled out and there seems to bethe body mounting an attack against the

plateletsThere are different forms of ITP. Some children

experience a disease which is listed as ITPbecause it is thrombocytopenia with an unknownorigin. However it differs from adult and chronicchildhood ITP because many of these childhoodcases last only a matter of months and then gointo permanent remission.


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ITP Statistics

Approximately 200,000people in the US haveITP

In Adults women arethree times more likely tohave ITP than men, but inchildren the statistics arefairly even

The percentage rate ofITP cases is increasing.

Each year there areapproximately 20,000new cases or about 10 to125 per million people.

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Adults Children

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Women


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Treatment

In most cases ITP is not fatal and can be treated.

There is a wide variety of treatment options, but with onlypartial success due to the unknown nature of thedisease.

The most commonly excepted, and most successfultreatments for ITP involve the removal of the spleenbecause it is a site for autoantibody production.

People are also very commonly given Prednisone which isan artificial steroid which can enhance plateletproduction

For emergency case treatment (normally when platelets getbelow 20,000) They will administer IV G or intravenousgammaglobulin for several days, and they wait for countsto rebound


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Sources

Platelet Disorder Support Association

www.ITPpeople.com

Scripps Institute website

http://seconde.scripps.edu/ltp

Family Genetics.net

www.familygenetics.net
http://www.itppeople.com/http://seconde.scripps.edu/ltphttp://www.familygenetics.net/http://www.familygenetics.net/http://seconde.scripps.edu/ltphttp://www.itppeople.com/

Documents

Presentation on ITP