Risk and prognosis of adult primary immune thrombocytopenia

Abstract

Adult immune thrombocytopenia was previously considered a benign disease affecting young people and with a low risk of severe bleeding. This view was challenged by studies published during the past decade, as the median age of adult immune thrombocytopenia patients has been found to be 55–60 years and the incidence increases with age. Recent studies reported that mortality and morbidity are increased compared with the general population. In this review, we describe patient-specific factors associated with the outcome of disease, the clinical course of immune thrombocytopenia including the potential adverse impact of some treatments and finally the overall prognosis.

Keywords::

• bleeding risk
• comorbidity
• epidemiology
• incidence
• ITP
• prognosis

Financial & competing interests disclosure

H Frederiksen has been a member of an advisory board for GlaxoSmithKline. The Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Aarhus University Hospital, receives funding for other studies on ITP from Amgen in the form of research grants to (and administered by) Aarhus University. None of these studies have any direct relation to this study. All coauthors conceptualized the idea for the study and participated in the study’s design. H Frederiksen wrote the first draft of the paper, and all authors participated in writing. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.