Immune Thrombocytopenia (ITP): In a Nutshell (Pediatric Nursing)

00:01 So in a nutshell, this is the unknown cause of the destruction of platelets and is diagnosed when the patient's platelet count gets less than 100,000 per microliter.

00:10 Acute ITP is more common in young children ages 2 to 6 and is usually present 3 weeks after a viral illness and self resolves in a few weeks to a few months.

00:20 Chronic ITP is more common in females and adults and is managed by a hematologist.

00:27 Post-viral antibodies will accidentally mark the platelets for destruction and these platelets will be destroyed at a pace that exceeds their production.

00:36 The patients will develop petechiae and purpura and this can be sudden.

00:40 Remember the findings of the CBC are totally normal except for the decreased platelet count -thrombocytopenia .

00:47 The clotting studies are normal.

00:49 The bone marrow aspiration excludes other causes like malignancies.

00:54 Bleeding in the setting of ITP can be severe and life-threatening.

00:58 There are treatment options even though this can self-resolve without them but you can treat the patient with steroids and you need to provide a safe environment with bleeding precautions.

01:07 Thank you for watching this lecture on ITP.