Neutropenia Following Intravenous Immunoglobulin Therapy in Pediatric Patients with Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura

Background: Children with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura who are treated with intravenous immunoglobulin therapy might experience a decline in their absolute neutrophil count. The aim of this study was to investigate the incidence of neutropenia following intravenous immunoglobulin therapy in children with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura undergoing intravenous immunoglobulin therapy. Patients and Methods: This was a retrospective cross sectional study. Patients with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura admitted to Ali-Asghar hospital from October 2003 to June 2010 with no immunosuppressive diseases negative coombs test and no sign of other infections before the admission entered the study and their neutrophil count before the intravenous immunoglobulin therapy, and in days1, 2, and 3 after the initiation of therapy was recorded. Results: From eighty nine patients 51 patients (57.3%) were male and 38 patients (42.7%) were female. Neutropenia was seen in 13 patients (14.6%) after treatment, but there was no statically significant difference between the mean absolute neutrophil count before and 1, 2, and 3 days after the start of the treatment (P=0.922). Conclusion: Intravenous immunoglobulin can lead to neutropenia in a few number of patients which is transient and self limited and most patients get benefits from intravenous immunoglobulin therapy as induced platelets count. Keywords: Neutropenia, idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, intravenous immunoglobulin .