Symptoms

The main symptoms of ITP are bruising and bleeding, which can include:¹

• Spontaneous bruising (purpura): purplish areas on skin or mucous membranes
• Petechiae: pinpoint red spots on the skin (typically the legs) that often occur in groups and may look like a rash
• Bleeding that is hard to stop
• Bleeding from gums
• Nosebleeds
• Heavy menstrual bleeding in women (menorrhagia)
• Blood in the urine
• Blood in the stool
  

Bleeding into the brain, a complication of ITP, is rare, but can be life threatening if it occurs. The risk of intracranial bleeding is greatest in:

• the elderly
• patients with a history of bleeding
• patients who don’t respond to therapy
• patients with platelet counts that fall below 10,000/mm³ to 20,000/mm³. ²

Diagnosis 

Your doctor may examine you for signs of ITP, ask you about your symptoms, and order laboratory tests. Classic ITP symptoms include bruising and bleeding, often seen with a platelet count of 30,000/mm³ to 50,000/mm³ (normal range 150,000/mm³ – 450,000/mm³ ). ³

Careful examination, along with appropriate tests, may help your doctor exclude other possible causes of low platelet count, including taking certain medications or the presence of other diseases. ⁴