To evaluate whether the serum
thrombopoietin levels in pregnancy-associated
immune thrombocytopenia (
ITP) differ from those in gestational
thrombocytopenia, and reveal the possibility of
thrombopoietin serving as a marker for differential diagnosis. Serum
thrombopoietin concentration was determined in
ITP in pregnancy (n = 35), gestational
thrombocytopenia (n = 31), healthy pregnancy (n = 32), age-matched nonpregnant
ITP (n = 32) and nonpregnant healthy controls (n = 35) by ELISA. The serum
thrombopoietin level of
ITP in pregnancy (1283 ± 646 pg/mL) was significantly higher than gestational
thrombocytopenia (187 ± 64 pg/mL) (P < 0.01), although the platelet counts of these two disorders may overlap. Twenty-nine of 35 patients with
ITP in pregnancy had
thrombopoietin values >500 pg/mL, whereas none of the gestational
thrombocytopenia patients'
thrombopoietin levels exceeded 500 pg/mL. In addition,
ITP in pregnancy presented a markedly higher
thrombopoietin level than nonpregnant
ITP (88 ± 41 pg/mL) (P < 0.01), indicating that the pathogenesis of pregnant and nonpregnant
ITP was different. Our findings suggest that measurement of serum
thrombopoietin concentration provides valuable diagnostic information for differentiating
ITP in pregnancy from gestational
thrombocytopenia.
Thrombopoietin represents a reliable marker for
ITP in pregnancy.