Advances in immunopathogenesis of adult immune thrombocytopenia.

Primary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is an autoimmune disorder characterized by immune-mediated accelerated platelet destruction and/or suppressed platelet production. Although the development of autoantibodies against platelet glycoproteins remains central in the pathophysiology of ITP, several abnormalities involving the cellular mechanisms of immune modulation have been identified, and the pathways behind the immune-mediated destruction of platelets have opened new avenues for the design of specific immunotherapies in an attempt to reduce the platelet destruction. This review is primarily focused on the recent literature with respect to immunopathological mechanisms in patients with ITP.