Journal of Blood Disorders & Transfusion

Abstract

Association between Helicobacter pylori Infection and Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura in Adults

Takayoshi Suzuki, Masashi Matsushima, Atsushi Takagi and Tetsuya Mine

A Gram-negative spiral bacterium, Helicobacter pylori, has been known to be a causative agent of chronic gastritis and peptic ulcer disease and plays an important role in increasing the risk for the development of gastric cancer. In addition, the infection has also been implicated in the development of extragastric diseases, such as hematological, systemic, cardiovascular and neurological diseases. Accumulating evidence indicates that successful eradication of H. pylori results in an increase of the platelet count in approximately half of H. pylori-positive ITP patients. However, the efficacy of the eradication was quite different in ITP patients among different countries worldwide. In this review, we summarize the recent evidences with regard to the association between H. pylori infection and ITP. We also provide information about the possible pathogenetic mechanisms and the factors for predicting platelet recovery.