Relation between the Short Term Health Related Quality of Life and Various Types of Medical Treatment in Patients with Idiopathic Chronic Thrombocytopenia

Background:Chronic Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP) is an autoimmune disorder characterized by a low platelet count due to reduced production and higher destruction of the platelets. Therapy is aimed at increasing the patient’s platelet count to safe levels and includes a wide variety of treatments, which has a large impact on the patient’s quality of life. Health Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) is one of the most important factors to evaluate the efficacy of the treatment. This study was conducted to compare the effect of the various types of treatment on HRQoL in ITP patients. Materials and Methods:Ninety under 25 year-old patients were included in this cross-sectional study. All patients had active disease with platelet count of less than 120,000/mm3. The patients were divided into 3 treatment groups: 1- Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) treatment, 2- various corticosteroids treatments and 3- Immunosuppressive treatments, and filled-out a validated “quality of life” questionnaire.The HRQoL was calculated according to the collected information such as well-physical activity, gynecologic problems, bleeding disorders, response to treatment, side effects and social interactions. Results:Ninety patients were enrolled, consisting of 38 male and 52 females. The mean age of the patients was 19.73±4.02 years. The mean total score of HRQoL was 21.8±9.1. We did not find any significant difference in HRQoL total score among treatment groups (p=0.129). Conclusion: HLQoL did not differ among treatment protocols and it seems that other factors are more important in influencing quality of life among ITP patients. Keywords: Purpura, thrombocytopenic, idiopathic, quality of life, immunoglobulins, corticosteroids, immunosuppressive agent