Tahini-induced thrombocytopenia

[coddy]

Dear All,

Just want to say I had ITP (hospitalised with count of 14) in 1996. My count fluctuated wildly from day to day, and my symptoms were blood blisters in the mouth, bruising, nose bleeds and fatigue.

Over the course of 8 months I tried steroids (60mg prednisolone) to no avail, and was recommended for splenectomy. I didn't have one because on the day my count was high.

I kept a food diary which eventually revealed that whenever I ate Tahini my count was low the next day. My consultant at St. Mary's in Paddington, London agreed to 'challenge' my body and I ate half a jar of Tahini in hospital with three hourly blood counts being taken. The count had plummeted from 170 to 33 withn 6 hours.

I'm now a healthy 47 year old with two kids and symptom free. I'm aware that 'classic' ITP has a slowly rising or decreasing platelet count; but if yours is fluctuting please be aware that what you are putting into your body may be having an effect. Dairy is another noted cause of ITP.

With hope, Karen x

[hifi]

Dear coddy. Thx for the information actually I am one year old Itp patient. 3 months back my count was 85000 and today went for review it was 60000.

I feel tensed with fluctuations in counts

[coddy in reply to hifi]

I was getting tri-weekly blood counts during my ITP experience and so was able to see rapid fluctuation. Is there a way you can get platelet counts more often just to see if there are drastic changes over, say, 48-72 hour periods? That way you will know whether it is worth making associations between what you are ingesting and your platelet count. By the way, before my consultant and I did our 'challenge' I was told by a top haematologist that there was no way it could be related to food, so do press on even if discouraged.

[hifi in reply to coddy]

K ill start writing from now.i am worried if it get relapsed.as my haematologist says 60000 is also a gud count and don't get stressed be happy.

Have you ever tried alcohol once a while?

If so was there a fluctuations in count.

[4ladylove in reply to coddy]

I TRUELY think that a lot of it has to do with foods that we are digesting because this disease use to be so rare and over da 3yrs I have read so many people that have it.if I was U I would read up on diets that may be helpful it worth it'

[coddy in reply to 4ladylove]

Absolutely! I know that my platelets drop when I eat Tahini. I have read accounts of milk/dairy being implicated too. One woman I spoke to believed that the hairsray she had been using caused her blood to stop clotting! Please look at what you are ingesting and monitor yourselves!!

[coddy]

Good advice to try not to stress and be happy -) Yes I can drink alcohol without any platelet problem. For some people I know quinine is a problem.