Absolute Immature Platelet Counts Suggest Platelet Production Suppression during Complicated Relapsing Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura

Abstract

Absolute immature platelet counts (A-IPC) aid in diagnosis and treatment follow-up in thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP). A-IPC was used to follow a patient on mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) maintenance therapy treated with a prolonged therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) regimen for relapsing TTP. On admission, the platelet (PLT) count was 95 × 10⁹/L declining to 14 × 10⁹/L in 5 days. Daily TPE was initiated for suspected TTP, and MMF was discontinued. A-IPC and PLT count were 1 × 10⁹/L and 14 × 10⁹/L, respectively, prior to first TPE. A-IPC improved to 3.2 × 10⁹/L with 1 TPE, and on day 5, A-IPC and PLT count were 7.5 × 10⁹/L and 218 × 10⁹/L, respectively. On day 6, A-IPC and PLT count decreased to 4.8 × 10⁹/L and 132 × 10⁹/L further worsening to 0.4 × 10⁹/L and 13 × 10⁹/L, respectively. ADAMTS13 activity remained <5% with an inhibitor; counts did not recover. Initial improvement followed by rapidly declining A-IPC despite therapy suggested production suppression. In TTP, A-IPC may aid in establishing early therapy effects over PLT production.