Efficacy of Intravenous Immunoglobulin on Childhood Immune Thrombocytopenic Purpura in Southeast of Iran: A Single Center Study

Introdusction: Immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) is an autoimmune disease characterized by a low circulating platelet count. However, no study has been conducted on the response of ITP patients to intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) treatment and its associated factors in southeastern Iran. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the outcomes of IVIG treatment in children with acute ITP. Methods: This study was conducted on children < 16 years of age affected by acute ITP. Demographic data, initial and discharge platelet counts, therapeutic response, and duration of hospitalization were recorded. Therapeutic response was recorded at different intervals of 48 hours, 1 week, and 6 months and classified as CR (>150,000/μL), MR (50,000-150,000/μL), or PR (<50,000/μL). Results: Forty-five patients with a mean age of 3.59±3.41 years were included in this study. The mean platelet count was 11,644±12,986/μL at the beginning of the study, which increased to 173,000±143,759/μL at the time of hospital discharge. At 48 hours, the overall response was 95.6% (24.4% CR, 71.1% MR). The results revealed that the rate of CR significantly improved to 64.4% at 1 week and to 86.6% at 6 months (p <0.001). The therapeutic response of the patients was independent of the platelet count at the beginning of the study (p =0.425). The mean hospitalization time in the study population was 3.33±0.97 days. Discussion:: This study revealed that IVIG has a high efficacy in pediatric patients with acute ITP. The therapeutic response improved over 6 months. The therapeutic response was independent of the platelet count at the beginning of the study. Conclusion:: The therapeutic response to IVIG in pediatric patients with acute ITP was excellent, with an overall response of 95.6% at 48 hours and an 86.6% CR at 6 months, supporting its use as a first-line therapy.