A practical approach to immune thrombocytopenia in pregnancy

Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) often presents for the first time in pregnancy, or, in patients with a history of ITP, pregnancy can trigger a relapse. ITP in pregnancy is often mild, leading to minimal or no symptoms; however, treatment may be needed if thrombocytopenia becomes severe, if bleeding occurs, or in anticipation of delivery and neuraxial analgesia. To facilitate the diagnosis of ITP in pregnancy, we present a systematic approach that allows clinicians to first consider urgent pregnancy-related thrombocytopenic conditions such as hypertensive disorders of pregnancy or thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura; exclude other causes of thrombocytopenia; and determine the need for treatment. We review options for first-line therapies for ITP in pregnancy, including corticosteroids (prednisone or methylprednisolone) and intravenous immune globulin, which has a favorable safety profile in pregnancy, and second-line therapy options that have been used in pregnancy including thrombopoietin receptor agonists, rituximab, and certain immunosuppressant medications such as azathioprine. We summarize the recommendations for platelet targets for delivery, recognizing that the evidence is limited, including a platelet count of 50 × 109/L or higher for caesarean delivery and 70 × 109/L or higher for neuraxial anesthesia. Treatment decisions for ITP in pregnancy should be informed by patients' values and preferences along with a multidisciplinary team that includes hematologists, obstetricians, and anesthesiologists.