Treatment of idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura with ascorbate.

The treatment of idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) includes corticosteroids, danazol, splenectomy and various immunosuppressives. Treatment can be difficult for those patients refractory to these modalities and/or those patients intolerant of the secondary effects. In this paper we report on the use of ascorbate in the treatment of ITP and its successful use in seven of 11 patients studied. We found that therapy with ascorbate appeared to improve the platelet count and the intravascular survival of platelets. Because of excellent patient compliance and its lack of toxicity, it may be an alternative for the treatment of ITP. The exact role of ascorbate in the treatment of ITP, as well as its mechanism of action, await further study.