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Short‐course oral prednisone therapy in children presenting with acute immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP)
Author(s) -
Carcao MD,
Zipursky A,
Butchart S,
Leaker M,
Blanchette VS
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
acta pædiatrica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.772
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1651-2227
pISSN - 0803-5253
DOI - 10.1111/j.1651-2227.1998.tb01239.x
Subject(s) - medicine , prednisone , thrombocytopenic purpura , regimen , platelet , purpura (gastropod) , immune thrombocytopenia , immune system , pediatrics , immunology , ecology , biology
Immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) is a disorder for which management remains controversial. The ongoing goal is to define the minimal therapy required for children with acute ITP. A pilot study of short‐course oral prednisone (4 mg −1 kg −1 d −1 for 4 d with no tapering) was undertaken in 25 consecutive children with acute ITP and platelet counts under 20 × 10 9 1 −1 . Of the 25 children, 22 responded to the prednisone therapy by achieving a platelet count higher than 20 × 10 9 1 −1 within 1 week of commencing treatment. This regimen was found to be safe, inexpensive and effective in increasing the platelet count of children to a haemostatically safe level.