My platelet count has been reduced. What can be done?

Question

Hello doctor,

I have an ITP problem when I was 3 years old due to a viral infection, now I am 31 years old female. I was always at 100000 above platelet counts from the last many years without any medicines except Prednisone in some adverse situations but suddenly nine months back, my platelets count went down to 15000 and this month it is at 10,000 only. Now I am on medicines Dexamethasone 40 mg after a meal for four days and Pan 40 before a meal. What should I do now? After four days of medication, what step should be taken? My weight is 110 lbs and my height 5 feet 3 inches.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

You have been prescribed high-dose steroid as your platelet count are very low so the risk of bleeding can be present. You should take this medication for a prescribed duration of at least one to two weeks. Then if the platelet count is raised then no active treatment is needed and monitoring of platelet count is done at regular intervals. But if after a one or two-week course of high steroids, platelet count is not raised then low-dose steroids can be continued for two to six weeks to improve platelet count.

Other options for treatment are immunosuppressive drugs like Azathioprine and Thrombopoietin receptor agonists like Romiplostim like drugs.

Take care.