Current Understanding of Post Transfusion Purpura : A Systematic Review

Post-transfusion purpura (PTP) is an adverse reaction to a blood transfusion or platelet transfusion that occurs when the body produces alloantibodies to the introduced platelets' antigens. These alloantibodies destroy the patient's platelets leading to thrombocytopenia, a rapid decline in platelet count. PTP usually presents 5–12 days after transfusion, and is a potentially fatal condition. Though, It is rare, it has significant mortality rate. Alloimmunization is the main pathological mechanism of platelet destruction but autoimmunization process also happens. It should be kept in mind as a differential diagnosis in any patient presenting with thrombocytopenia, especially after transfusion. In this review article, we are focusing on describing one of very rare but yet, a serious complication of blood transfusion and proposing a new scheme of diagnosis which needs to be further studied in a big multicenter trial to prove its efficacy. [Mohammed Albalawi, Mohammed Zolaly, Nawaf Alkhayat, Omer Al Sharif , Ghaleb Elyamany. Current Understanding of Post Transfusion Purpura: A Systematic Review. J Am Sci 2015;11(10):146-151]. (ISSN: 1545-1003). http://www.jofamericanscience.org. 14. doi:10.7537/marsjas111015.14.