Risk of Thromboembolism in Patients with Immune Thrombocytopenia

Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) comprises a heterogeneous group of disorders characterized by autoimmunemediated platelet destruction and impairment of platelet production. Thromboembolic events have been reported in up to 8% of patients with ITP, suggesting that thromboembolism requires special precaution in this patient group. Thromboembolism can be caused by a disease (i.e. pro-thrombotic disease state) after the introduction of ITP therapies such as corticosteroids, splenectomy, and thrombopoietin receptor agonists, or can occur in association with other diseases. In the care of patients with ITP, it is important to understand the risk of thromboembolism. In this article, we focus on the risk of ITP-related thromboembolism and potential prevention and management options.