Immune-Mediated Thrombocytopenia (IMTP)
Immune-mediated thrombocytopenia (IMTP) is a serious and sometimes life-threatening auto-immune condition in which the immune system attacks and destroys a patient’s platelets, putting the patient at risk of spontaneous bleeding.
What Causes IMTP?
IMTP is caused by an abnormal immune response in which the patient’s body targets platelets for destruction. Primary IMTP has no known cause, meaning the immune system was not triggered to attack the platelets for any identifiable reason. Secondary IMTP (immune-mediated thrombocytopenia) is suspected when a patient with low platelet counts (thrombocytopenia) develops a new infection, has cancer, has recently started a new medication, or has received a vaccination that may have triggered the immune system. While primary IMTP is more common than secondary IMTP, identifying a potential immune trigger is generally recommended, as it can influence the treatment approach and prognosis.
The immune system has both pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory chemical triggers as well as recognition of its own cells; an auto-immune or immune-mediated condition is one in which these mechanisms are deranged. In autoimmune conditions, the full force of the immune response is activated against the body’s own cells. The immune chemicals damage platelets, causing them to rupture. Damaged cells are removed from circulation by the filtering function of the liver and spleen.
Clinical Signs
Because platelets are involved in normal blood clotting, patients with thrombocytopenia often have bruises noted on their skin or mouth. Some patients will bleed from the nose or mouth or have blood visible in their urine or feces. Some patients bleed internally and present to the hospital for severe weakness or collapse. Patients in this condition must be evaluated quickly.
How Is IMTP Diagnosed?
Patients suspected of having IMTP are usually diagnosed with a combination of blood tests and imaging studies (radiographs/X-RAYS and ultrasound). Blood tests generally show low numbers of platelets from the immune system attack. Patients often have elevated white cell counts from the immune stimulation and may also have abnormal organ function tests from the stress of the low platelets on other organs.
To find the causes of secondary IMTP, severely thrombocytopenic patients generally have blood tests to look for infectious causes of low platelets. In dogs, these are usually diseases that are carried by ticks; in cats, screening tests for bacterial and viral causes of anemia are generally done. Because cancer can trigger an aberrant immune response, radiographs (X-RAYS) and ultrasound are recommended as well.
Treatment
Depending on the severity of your pet’s condition, hospitalization for fluids, supportive care, and transfusions (red blood cells +/- platelets) may be necessary.
IMTP is treated with medications that attenuate or calm the immune system. Steroids are frequently used in addition to other immunomodulating drugs. It is not uncommon for more than one immunomodulatory medication to be necessary to gain control of the disease. Patients with IMTP associated with an infection may need medication to treat the infection. Patients who develop IMTP secondary to cancer may be treated with chemotherapy, surgery, or other disease-directed therapy.
Plasma exchange or plasmapheresis is a newer therapy available to treat the most severe cases of immune-mediated disease. Therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) involves exchanging the plasma component of the patient’s blood with that of a healthy plasma donor. The patient’s blood is circulated through a filter (similar to kidney dialysis) to allow the sick patient’s plasma to be cleaned of the destructive circulating immune chemicals while preserving as many platelets as possible. Because some of the patient’s plasma is removed in the process, a donor’s plasma must be returned to the patient during the exchange process. This therapy has been widely used in human patients; its use in veterinary patients is increasing as more research becomes available. This therapy is available at Veterinary Specialty Center.
Prognosis
IMTP is a life-threatening disease, but many patients respond to immunosuppressive medications. Patients who require transfusions in the first few days of therapy have a more aggressive form and are likely to need more hospitalization for several days.
The first few days after IMTP diagnosis are most dangerous and some patients do not respond to aggressive therapy. A patient who survives the first several days of therapy and is discharged from the hospital generally has a good long-term prognosis, although close monitoring is necessary.
Patients with secondary IMTP, associated with infection or cancer, can have a variable prognosis, depending on the inciting cause. Some patients have a mild form of IMTP, respond well to single-agent therapy (prednisone alone), and can be tapered off medications rapidly.
Long Term Follow-Up
Patients with severe IMTP are followed by the internal medicine specialists at Veterinary Specialty Center. Our doctors always keep primary care veterinarians informed about each patient’s medical condition and therapeutic plan. Close monitoring, especially in the early phase of the disease, is critical. Discontinuing medications too soon can result in a relapse of inflammation, and relapses tend to be more severe than the initial onset of the disease. Medication dosages should never be reduced unless recommended by the veterinarian who has managed the disease. Additionally, patients must be monitored for medication side effects. In general, the goal is to reduce medication to the lowest effective dose. It may take months and many visits to achieve long-term control of a patient with severe or relapsing IMTP.
Because decisions about changes in medication are based on observations made during the physical exam in addition to other testing, our recommendation is that follow-up for this disease be done at Veterinary Specialty Center. All routine preventive care should continue with your primary care veterinarian.
Remember that Veterinary Specialty Center never closes, so do not hesitate to come in or call if you are concerned about your pet.