Efficacy of Eradication Therapy on Platelet Recovery in Pediatric Immune Thrombocytopenic Purpura-Case Series and a Systematic Review.

Evidence relating to the efficacy of eradication therapy for chronic immune thrombocytopenic purpura (cITP) in childhood is inadequate. The aim of this retrospective study was to determine the efficacy of eradication therapy for platelet response in pediatric patients with cITP in our hospital, and to perform a systematic review of previous reports about pediatric patients with cITP who were positive for infection and were treated with eradication therapy. Analysis of the data of pediatric patients with cITP in our hospital and a systematic review of digital literature databases of studies in pediatric patients with cITP were performed. Data of 33 pediatric patients with cITP from our hospital records showed that the prevalence of infection and the rate of response to platelet therapy were 15% and 33.3%, respectively. Data of 706 pediatric patients from 18 previous reports showed that the prevalence of infection and rate of platelet response were 23% and 43.8%, respectively. Eradication therapy for infection in pediatric cITP patients can be expected to result in a response equivalent to that in the adult population, with fewer adverse effects than other treatments for cITP.