Successful treatment with rituximab of refractory immune thrombocytopenic purpura

Autor: Daniela Tirotta, Vittorio Durante
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2009
Předmět:
Zdroj: Clinical Management Issues, Vol 3, Iss 4, Pp 171-179 (2009)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 1973-4832
2283-3137
DOI: 10.7175/cmi.v3i4.543
Popis: Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) is a disorder characterized by accelerated destruction of platelets. About 25 to 30% of patients with ITP are resistant to standard treatment. Recent reports suggest that rituximab may be useful in treating chronic refractory ITP. We report a case of a 72-year-old woman with ITP resistant to standard treatment with steroids (prednisone 2 mg/kg for 2 weeks, followed by prednisone 1 mg/kg) and intravenous immunoglobulin (0,5 mg/kg for 5 days). An infection by Helicobacter pylori was eradicated; afterwards she was treated with rituximab 375 mg/m2, once weekly for four weeks, resulting in a complete long-lasting response. Rituximab could represent a satisfactory alternative to the splenectomia in the adults with ITP; in our case the remission is complete (stable platelets > 200 x 109 after 8 months), early (before the fourth dose) and sustained (follow-up 18 months).
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