Helicobacter pylori eradication affects platelet count recovery in immune thrombocytopenia

• Published in: Scientific reports Vol. 10; no. 1; p. 9370
• Main Authors: Lee, Ayoung, Hong, Junshik, Chung, Hyunsoo, Koh, Youngil, Cho, Soo-Jeong, Byun, Ja Min, Kim, Sang Gyun, Kim, Inho
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 10.06.2020; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 692/4020; 692/699/1541; Adult; Aged; Amoxicillin - therapeutic use; Anti-Bacterial Agents - therapeutic use; Blood Platelets - drug effects; Blood Platelets - pathology; Clarithromycin - therapeutic use; Eradication; Female; Helicobacter Infections - drug therapy; Helicobacter Infections - immunology; Helicobacter pylori; Helicobacter pylori - physiology; Humanities and Social Sciences; Humans; Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura; Infections; Long-term effects; Male; Middle Aged; multidisciplinary; Platelet Count; Platelets; Purpura, Thrombocytopenic, Idiopathic - drug therapy; Purpura, Thrombocytopenic, Idiopathic - immunology; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Thrombocytopenia
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-66460-5

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection is on the rise as a cause of immune thrombocytopenia (ITP). It has been suggested that platelet recovery can be achieved following successful microbial eradication, although, the exact pathophysiology has yet to be fully elucidated. This study evaluated the long-term effects of H. pylori eradication monotherapy on platelet count recovery in patients with ITP. H. pylori eradication was analysed in 61 ITP patients. Patients who maintained a complete response (CR) for more than six months were classified as sustained responders (SR). The prevalence of H. pylori infection was 54.3% (75/138), and the success rate of eradication with first-line therapy was 71.4% (35/49). Patients who had achieved a CR at 2 months maintained a higher platelet count thereafter. At 1 year following eradication, platelet counts had increased 2.78 times in the eradicated group, 1.36 times in the sustained infection group, and 1.33 times in the no infection group compared with the baseline ( P  = 0.016).