{"id":1328,"date":"2026-04-16T13:48:51","date_gmt":"2026-04-16T13:48:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bioarstherapeutics.gr\/?p=1328"},"modified":"2026-04-16T13:53:54","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T13:53:54","slug":"itp-autoimmune-thrombocytopenia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bioarstherapeutics.gr\/en\/itp-autoimmune-thrombocytopenia\/","title":{"rendered":"ITP: Autoimmune \u03a4hrombocytopenia"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>What it is\u00a0<sup>1<\/sup><br \/>\n<\/strong>Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP) is an autoimmune hematological disorder characterized by a low number of platelets in the blood, leading to an increased risk of bleeding. It is caused by immune-mediated destruction of platelets, as well as impaired platelet production in the bone marrow.<\/p>\n<p>The disease can occur in all age groups. In children, it is often acute and self-limiting, while in adults it more commonly presents as a chronic condition. ITP is not contagious and is not considered a malignancy; however, it can significantly affect patients\u2019 daily lives.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Epidemiological data <sup>2<\/sup><br \/>\n<\/strong>ITP is considered a rare disease. The annual incidence in Europe is estimated at approximately:<br \/>\n2\u20135 new cases per 100,000 adults<br \/>\n3\u20136 cases per 100,000 children<\/p>\n<p>The chronic form of the disease occurs more frequently in adults, with a slightly higher incidence in women, particularly at younger ages.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Pathogenesis <sup>3<\/sup><br \/>\n<\/strong>ITP results from dysfunction of the immune system, which produces autoantibodies that target platelets. This leads to their increased destruction, mainly in the spleen.<\/p>\n<p>At the same time, platelet production by megakaryocytes in the bone marrow is also affected. The exact cause that triggers this autoimmune response remains unknown, although in some cases it is associated with infections or other immunological factors.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Symptoms <sup>3<\/sup><br \/>\n<\/strong>The clinical presentation varies widely. Many patients may be asymptomatic, while others present with bleeding manifestations such as:<\/p>\n<p>Petechiae (small red spots on the skin)<br \/>\nEcchymoses (bruises)<br \/>\nBleeding from the gums or nose<br \/>\nProlonged bleeding after injury<\/p>\n<p>In more severe cases, internal bleeding may occur, although this is less common.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Diagnosis <sup>3<\/sup><br \/>\n<\/strong>The diagnosis of ITP is mainly based on excluding other causes of thrombocytopenia.<\/p>\n<p>It includes:<br \/>\nBlood tests (platelet count)<br \/>\nClinical evaluation and medical history<br \/>\nIn some cases, bone marrow examination<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Treatment <sup>3<\/sup><br \/>\n<\/strong>The therapeutic approach is individualized, depending on disease severity, symptoms, and bleeding risk.<\/p>\n<p>The main goals of treatment are:<br \/>\nIncreasing platelet levels<br \/>\nPreventing bleeding episodes<br \/>\nImproving patients\u2019 quality of life<\/p>\n<p>Available options include corticosteroids, immunoglobulins, and newer targeted therapies that affect platelet production and immune system function.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Is an autoimmune hematological disorder characterized by a low number of platelets in the blood<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":1321,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1328","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hematology-oncology"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bioarstherapeutics.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1328","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bioarstherapeutics.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bioarstherapeutics.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bioarstherapeutics.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bioarstherapeutics.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1328"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/bioarstherapeutics.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1328\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1337,"href":"https:\/\/bioarstherapeutics.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1328\/revisions\/1337"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bioarstherapeutics.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1321"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bioarstherapeutics.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1328"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bioarstherapeutics.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1328"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bioarstherapeutics.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1328"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}