Childhood Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura and Helicobacter pylori

• Published in: The Japanese Journal of Pediatric Hematology Vol. 17; no. 5; pp. 413 - 417
• Main Authors: SHIRAHATA, Akira, FUJISAWA, Kohji, OHARA, Akira, SAKAI, Michio
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Japanese
• Published: THE JAPANESE SOCIETY OF PEDIATRIC HEMATOLOGY/ONCOLOGY 2003; 特定非営利活動法人 日本小児血液・がん学会
• Subjects: 13C urea breath test; anti-HP IgG antibodies; eradication therapy; Helicobacter pylori; idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura
• ISSN: 0913-8706; 1884-4723
• DOI: 10.11412/jjph1987.17.413

Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) is considered an autoimmune disease that lowers blood platelets due to autoantibody infiltration against the platelets. The precise cause of this is unclear, but in recent years a high prevalence of Helicobacter pylori (HP) infection has been reported in adult patients with ITP. Furthermore, the platelet count increases after HP eradication in many HP-infected ITP patients, suggesting that HP is involved as a causative agent in 20-40% of adult ITP cases. The present study therefore examined HP infection in chronic childhood ITP cases. Serum anti-HP IgG antibody, anti-HP IgG antibody in urine, stool HP antigen and 13C urea breath test were measured in 40 subjects, but HP infection was verified in only a small percentage (two subjects; 5.0%). Neither of these subjects underwent bacterium eradication therapy in the survey stage, so the relationship with ITP pathology remains a topic for future study. In the diagnosis and treatment of HP infection in children, it is necessary to fully bear in mind the low sensibility to serum anti-HP IgG antibody testing and the 13C urea breath test, as well as the prevalence of clarithromycin-resistant HP as compared to adults.