Munaeem's Blog

  Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is a bleeding disorder that can happen in children and adults. It is caused by an immune system error that may be triggered by viral infections, although often no specific cause is found 4 9 .  In ITP, your blood doesn’t clot properly because you have a smaller amount of platelets (thrombocytes) than normal 9 .  Platelets are the cells in your blood that help it clot, and when you have ITP, your immune system destroys these cells 1 . Symptoms ITP may not cause any signs or symptoms, but it can cause bleeding inside the body (internal bleeding) or underneath or from the skin (external bleeding)  5 .  Signs of bleeding may include easy or excessive bruising, superficial bleeding into the skin that looks like a rash, pinpoint red spots on the skin called petechiae, a collection of clotted or partially clotted blood under the skin that looks or feels like a lump, nosebleeds or bleeding from the gums, and blood in the urine or stool 1 ...