Neonates born to mothers with immune thrombocytopenic purpura: a single-center experience of 20 years.

Abstract

Neonates born to mothers with immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) have an increased risk of having thrombocytopenia and bleeding. The aim of our study was to determine maternal and fetal factors that can predict bleeding risk in neonates born to mothers with ITP, and effective treatment strategies by retrospective analysis of our single-center data. We performed a retrospective data review of neonates that were recorded as 'neonates born to mothers with ITP' in the Neonatal ICU of Hacettepe University, Ihsan Dogramacı Children's Hospital, Ankara, Turkey. Medical records of 36 neonates born from 35 mothers were analyzed. Among the 36 neonates born to mothers with ITP, thrombocytopenia (platelet count of less than 150 × 10/l) was detected in 20 (56.0%) neonates on the first day of life. Twelve of the 20 neonates with thrombocytopenia (60.0%) required treatment to increase the platelet counts. Clinical findings related to thrombocytopenia occurred in three (15.0%) neonates, but none of them presented with severe bleeding. There was no statistically significant association between neonatal lowest platelet count and maternal lowest platelet count, maternal platelet count at the time of delivery, and duration of thrombocytopenia, respectively. Neonates born to mothers with ITP have an increased tendency to develop thrombocytopenia, but severe bleeding is very rare in these neonates. Clinicians should pay special attention to follow these neonates. According to our results, both intravenous immunoglobulin and methyl prednisolone were found to be in equivalent efficacy for the treatment of neonatal thrombocytopenia due to maternal ITP.