Impact of Infection upon the Evolution and Outcome of Pediatric Immune Thrombocytopenic Purpura: A Comprehensive Review.

In adults with immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), the identification of infection and its subsequent eradication proved to aid platelet recovery. Similar findings, at a smaller scale, were allegedly reported by some pediatric studies. This review's objective was to establish the influence of infection and its eradication upon platelet count and recovery in pediatric ITP. Three databases, namely Pubmed, Scopus and Web of Science, were searched for pediatric studies which investigated a link between infection and thrombocytopenia. The search results retrieved a number of 21 articles which complied to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Some studies report lower platelet values among children with ITP and documented infection, as well as an improve in platelet numbers after treatment. However, results are controversial, as multiple authors failed to identify a higher prevalence of among children with ITP or a lack of significant change in therapeutic outcome with the addition of an eradication regimen to standard treatment. The main limitations of current pediatric studies remain the small study samples and the short follow-up periods of the included subjects. Hence, the long-term impact of in children with ITP is still uncertain.