Autoantibodies to Thrombopoietin and the Thrombopoietin Receptor in Patients with Immune Thrombocytopenia

Abstract Background: Primary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is an autoimmune bleeding disorder caused by autoantibodies against platelet glycoproteins (GP). These autoantibodies are detected in only 40-60% of ITP patients even when sensitive techniques are used. Our understanding of the mechanisms of ITP is limited by the variability in clinical presentation, varied differences in treatment responses and the lack of reliable …