Serum thrombopoietin levels in patients with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura and its significance

Objective To investigate serum thrombopoietin(TPO) levels in patients with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura(ITP) and its significance.Methods The serum levels of thrombopoietin in ITP patients(n=45) and healthy subjects(control group,n=25) were tested by sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.The peripheral platelet counts were measured by automatic hemocyte analyzer;and the bone marrow megakaryocytes were counted directly under microscope.Among 45 ITP patients,37 were responders and 8 were non-responders to treatment.Results The counts of platelets in ITP patients significantly decreased(P0.05);and the counts of megakaryocytes increased(P0.05).However,there was no significantly difference in serum TPO levels between ITP patients and control group.The TPO levels of responder ITP patients were significantly higher than those of non-responders and healthy controls(P0.05);The megakaryocyte counts of non-responder patients were significantly lower than that of patients in responders(P0.05).Conclusion The serum levels of thrombopoietin may be a useful indicator for effectiveness of treatment.