Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura: a brief review of recent literature.

Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura is a disease characterized by hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia, and neurological symptoms. Platelet thrombi in small vessels are formed as a result of endothelial injury or primary platelet aggregation or both. Etiology and pathogenesis, however, are not completely understood. Therapy, at one time nonexistent, has progressed to include plasma exchange, steroids, antiplatelet drugs, splenectomy, vincristine, and gamma globulin, thus improving the prognosis significantly over that of the mid-1960s.