Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura is an auto-immune disease in which the body - for no explainable reason - creates antibodies that destroy its own platelets (the blood cells responsible for clotting of blood). There are numerous studies being done in medical labs around the world to advance the diagnosis and treatment of ITP. Unfortunately, to date no one has announced a "silver bullet" to cure it, nor have they uncovered a diagnostic platelet antibody test to confirm that a patient has ITP. In fact, the diagnosis is often done by process of elimination.

The amount and scope of research being done in ITP is impressive. One would hope that given the prestige of the many doctors at various institutions working on finding a cure, it should be within reach. Some patients get over ITP with a high dosage of steroids. However, to our knowledge, the best many ITP patients can hope for is finding a way to live comfortably with this condition.

There are several treatments for a very low platelet count caused by ITP. Doctors try one after another until they find one that works for their patient, and each individual responds differently to each medication or procedure. Unfortunately, all have their side effects and risks, so there are some number of people (maybe as many as 100,000) who live with ITP for years and years. For the most difficult cases (like Patrick's), a bone marrow transplant may be a last resort. Yet, the success of this arduous procedure is still far from guaranteed.

DAISY's contributions to research include grants to Dr. James George, Professor of Medicine at the University of Oklahoma Medical School (one of the doctors who consulted on Patrick's case) and Dr. James Bussel, Professor of Pediatrics and Director of the Platelet Research and Treatment Program at Cornell University's Weill Medical College (New York Presbyterian Hospital). We are confident their work will bear fruit in the near future.

For more information about ITP, two excellent sources are www.itpsupport.org.uk and www.pdsa.org.