Thread: splenectomy

Dear friends,

My sister has been told by her doctor to get the spleen removed.
For the last 6 years she has had health problems related to platelet loss.
Many years ago had had a blood transfusion that did not solve the problem. Now she has taken a stand and refuses this kind of blood treatment. At the moment her platelets count is 30000 (In Taiwan). She bruises very easily. and is very tired all the time. Bone marrow, red cells and white cells are normal. The doctor thinks she may have Immune or idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura.

Do you know any research that have been done on it?

thank you for your help

KE LI

Pretty good article on options to consider before splenectomy in eMedicine:
Immune Thrombocytopenic Purpura: Treatment & Medication - eMedicine

The two children with chronic ITP that I have followed both got better without surgery. One responded to WinRho, the other to monthly pulses of Decadron.

Look on this site for Platelet_Gel It will tell you about Regranex.

This is a more direct route: Brand Name: Regranex® - A genetically engineered platelet-derived growth factor that mimics a protein that occurs naturally in the body.

You may want to check out Nplate. It is the latest drug to treat Chronic ITP. It is produced by AMGEN, available through their nexus program. Patients have kept their spleen and their platelet counts have been maintained above 50k.


http://www.nplate.com/pdfs/misc/nplate_pi.pdf

Thank you for your help.

using nplates sounds very scary. its side effects are quite serious, including blood cancer!!!

I will consider very carefully

Keli

Nplate can cause uncommon but serios side effects: Definately consult the pros/cons with your healthcare provider.

From their medication guide it reads: "Worsening of blood cancers. Nplate is not for unse in patiens with blood cancer or a precancerous condition called mylodysplastic syndrome (MDS). If you have one of these conditions, Nplate may worsen your cancer or condition and may cause you to die sooner."

What was I thinking recommending a platelet gel for an internal problem. Thanks for the confidential correction. Nplate or Neumega are two helps for platelet growth