Treatments and Goals for Adults With Chronic ITP

The goals of treatment can vary for different patients. A patient's platelet count (the number of platelets present per microliter of blood) is a key piece of information that a healthcare provider uses to determine the need for an appropriate treatment. Bruising and other bleeding symptoms most often occur at platelet counts less than 20,000 per microliter.¹ Platelet counts vary for individual patients. Talk to you healthcare provider about treatment goals that that are best for you.

Even when you are on therapy that works for you, platelet counts can vary slightly from week to week, which is why trying to raise and sustain platelet counts to a level of at least 50,000 per microliter is often considered appropriate for an adult patient to reduce the risks for bleeding due to ITP. Remember, it is common to experience mild fluctuations in platelet counts, and such fluctuations do not mean that your treatment is not working. Your healthcare provider may work to keep your platelet counts at a level within a range sufficient to reduce the risk for bleeding, rather than trying to hit an exact platelet count.¹ Talk to your healthcare provider if you experience large fluctuations in platelet counts as you may need additional short-term therapies to avoid the risk of bleeding.

Generally, the most important goal among healthcare providers in the treatment of ITP is to reduce the risk for serious bleeding by elevating platelet counts. Another goal may consist of alleviating the symptoms of adult chronic ITP (bruising, etc), while keeping in mind the potential side effects of treatment.^1,2