help!

[mumof2sn]

my little boy is 6weeks old 3 weeks ago purple marks appeared on his legs health vis wasnt concerned she said there unusual after 4 days they would be gone, on monday they appeared on his arms look like bruises hes always got a rash that comes and goes sometimes looks sore, anyways his mean platelet is 9.2 should be 11.6-14.0 is it itp?

[mumof2sn]

he was on 2 antibiotics at birth due to swallowing musuc he was on then for 5days

[AnthonyHeard Administrator ITP Support Association]

Hello mumof2sn and sorry that you have had such a worrying time with your son. With very young children they often do develop ITP as a reaction to an immunisation and/or drugs that they are given. Also in young children ITP can quickly correct itself and this is why doctors/specialists do not issue any treatment straight away as they feel that the child's immune system will correct itself quite quickly. As to whether your son has ITP, certainly the symptoms you describe are all common to ITP but of course the only way to be sure is to get him checked out by a doctor or hospital and they will probably do a blood test to check his platelet count which will also eliminate any other potential illness. It really is important to get him checked. Are you based in the UK? If you are you might wish to get a referral to an ITP specialist which you can do by getting your GP or hospital to refer you. Please let me know if you are based in the UK and I can then let you have details of all the ITP specialists. I would also suggest having a look at the ITP Support Association website at itpsupport.org.uk as it has plenty of helpful information about ITP. I hope this helps but the key advice from me would be to get your son checked out as it could be ITP .

[mumof2sn]

his mean low platelet count is 9.2 im in cumbria

[AnthonyHeard Administrator ITP Support Association]

Hello mumof2sn, you may wish to get a referral to your nearest ITP specialist which you can locate from the attached link. As you are based in Cumbria I think the nearest specialist is likely to be Dr John Grainger at Manchester Royal Children`s Hospital. Dr Grainger is one of the leading experts in ITP in children so you would be in excellent hands. You can get a refferal by asking your GP or hospital to refer you to him. Hope this helps and best wishes.

The link to the list of ITP specialists is.... ukitpregistry.com/itpforum/...

[NickyD in reply to AnthonyHeard]

Hello mumof2sn I suggest you do what Anthony says and get a referral to Dr Grainger. Not only will he be able to give you more information about ITP - he will put your mind at rest and that is priceless. Ask for an immediate referral or it could take weeks. Keep us posted and our thoughts are with you. NickyD

[mumof2sn]

my baby has been taken of us on tues saying weve done it as its unexplained i am trying to find out best option as we have obvs not done it to him x

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mum, the numbers you are quoting are not numbers that we are familar with. The normal platelet count is between 150 and 400 so the range that you quote is something else.

You need to seek a haematologist who is experienced with non malignant conditions. They will know what tests to carry out and how to help you get your baby back. You could do worse than contacting John Grainger in Manchester as Anthony suggests. The hospital number is 0161 276 1234 and ask for his secretary.