Chronic idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura may even prolong survival in human beings in general

Background: Atherosclerosis may be the major cause of aging and death, and the role of platelets (PLT) is well-known in the terminal consequences of atherosclerosis. Methods: All patients with sickle cell diseases (SCD) were included. Results: We studied 222 males and 212 females with similar ages (30.8 vs 30.3 years, p>0.05, respectively). Smoking (23.8% vs 6.1%, p<0.001), alcohol (4.9% vs 0.4%, p<0.001), transfused red blood cells (RBC) in their lives (48.1 vs 28.5 units, p=0.000), disseminated teeth losses (5.4% vs 1.4%, p<0.001), ileus (7.2% vs 1.4%, p<0.001), coronary heart disease (CHD) (18.0% vs 13.2%, p<0.05), cirrhosis (8.1% vs 1.8%, p<0.001), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (25.2% vs 7.0%, p<0.001), leg ulcers (19.8% vs 7.0%, p<0.001), clubbing (14.8% vs 6.6%, p<0.001), chronic renal disease (9.9% vs 6.1%, p<0.05), and stroke (12.1% vs 7.5%, p<0.05) were all higher in males, significantly. Conclusion: As a prototype of accelerated atherosclerosis, hardened RBC-induced capillary endothelial damage initiating at birth terminates with multiorgan failures in much earlier ages in the SCD. Excess fat tissue may be much more important than smoking and alcohol for atherosclerosis, and CHD and stroke may be the terminal causes of death in both genders at the moment. Although the possibility of some severe bleedings in rare cases, we have just seen two mortile cases due to the chronic idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) in our 25 years of experience. Due to the well-known roles of PLT during the terminal atherosclerotic consequences, chronic ITP may even prolong the survival in human being in general. Key words: Chronic idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, platelets, sickle cell diseases, systemic atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease, stroke, vascular endothelial inflammation, excessive fat tissue, smoking, alcohol