How Idiopathic Thrombocytopenia Purpura Affects End Of Life Care

Many of the warnings about idiopathic thrombocytopenia purpura suggest that many people, especially children, should find ways to avoid being exposed to this painful condition, especially those receiving end-of-life care. 

Unfortunately, many of these warnings to residents of Manchester and elsewhere also include text such as “we don’t know what causes about idiopathic thrombocytopenia purpura or what makes it spread,” which doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence.

However, the team at Above and Beyond Home Health Care and Hospice has taken the effort to learn more about this condition and how it could affect our clients, along with what can be done if someone is diagnosed with this immune system disorder.

It’s a good time to do one’s research: September is National ITP Month and ITP Awareness Month in the U.S., and Global ITP Awareness Week around the planet Sept. 20-24. Medical professionals at all levels are encouraged to be resources for people wanting to know more about the condition, whether they want to learn or have been recently diagnosed and aren’t sure where to go next.

For instance, there are several organizations that focus on different areas of ITP treatment or different groups of people who are affected, including the IP Support Association and the Platelet Disorder Support Association.

All of these organizations focus on educating the community, encouraging networking, and keeping people safe, whether they have ITP or someone close to them does. There are also resources for caregivers and health care professionals who want to share findings, ask clinical questions or discuss current research.

Learning more

But before we learn about the networking activities and opportunities involving further research, it helps to learn more about idiopathic thrombocytopenia purpura, or ITP itself.

The condition, according to Stanford Health Care, is a blood disorder that happens when the number of platelets in the blood declines. Platelets are used to help bleeding to stop, so if there are fewer of these and they are no longer working optimally, a person could have a difficult time even getting a small cut to stop.

The purpura in the name is Latin for purple and describes the color of the skin when it’s bruised, which is a sign of internal bleeding.

Newer research into idiopathic thrombocytopenia purpura has made other interesting observations: it should really be considered an immunological disease where the body is responsible for destroying its own platelets.

Experts in this matter also suggest calling it Immune thrombocytopenia purpura, since idiopathic refers to something with an unknown cause.

There are now variations that have been found: acute ITP, where people experience these symptoms once, or chronic IPT, which happens on a regular basis.

Why people are concerned about ITP is because of potential problems that can happen if someone with this condition is injured: they may continue bleeding, so a minor accident or injury can become serious.

Much of the concern is leveled at children, who may unwillingly get hurt while playing or in school activities. But it also could cause complications during pregnancy.

Seniors should also follow the same cautions, since they also have a high possibility of hurting themselves, including losing their balance, falling down and hitting their heads, or bumping into something sharp and accidentally cutting themselves.

Along with difficulty for bleeding to cause clotting, people with ITP also should worry about other injuries, such as nosebleeds, bruising, blood in the mouth and gums, and blood in urine or feces. A head injury that doesn’t break the skin could also cause dangerous bleeding in the brain.

People with this condition often discover small purple spots on their bodies. These can look like a rash and can often be found on the lower legs.

People with immediate bleeding that won’t stop due to ITP are urged to contact emergency authorities immediately, while those with ongoing bruising are recommended to discuss it with their health care provider at a future visit.

Future outlook

While the exact reason why the body attacks or lowers the quantities of platelets remains unknown, efforts to treat the condition have led to some success.

Stanford Health Care says that in some cases, ITP sometimes heals itself and platelet levels rise to normal levels, so monitoring, not treatment, takes care of things.

But in other cases, it may require some intervention, such as a treatment of steroids or injections of gamma globulin. Certain other medications can increase the production of platelets, including romiplostim or eltrombopag. But these also increase the risk of blood clots.

The Mayo Clinic encourages people who are dealing with repeat instances of ITP and platelet levels that keep dropping to discuss this with their provider. In extreme cases, it may require surgical removal of the spleen or medication to always keep platelet levels high.

A provider also might be interested in what medication or supplements you might be taking, such as ibuprofen, aspirin, or Ginkgo Biloba. These could also affect blood flow and platelet quantities.