Abstract
Management of symptoms and prevention of life-threatening hemorrhage in immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) must be balanced against adverse effects of therapies. Because current treatment guidelines based on platelet count are confounded by variable bleeding phenotypes, there is a need to identify new objective markers of disease severity for treatment stratification. In this cross-sectional prospective study of 49 patients with ITP and nadir platelet counts <30 × 109/L and 18 aged-matched healthy controls, we used susceptibility-weighted magnetic resonance imaging to detect cerebral microbleeds (CMBs) as a marker of occult hemorrhage. CMBs were detected using a semiautomated method and correlated with clinical metadata using multivariate regression analysis. No CMBs were detected in health controls. In contrast, lobar CMBs were identified in 43% (21 of 49) of patients with ITP; prevalence increased with decreasing nadir platelet count (0/4, ≥15 × 109/L; 2/9, 10-14 × 109/L; 4/11, 5-9 × 109/L; 15/25 <5 × 109/L) and was associated with longer disease duration (P = 7 × 10-6), lower nadir platelet count (P = .005), lower platelet count at time of neuroimaging (P = .029), and higher organ bleeding scores (P = .028). Mucosal and skin bleeding scores, number of previous treatments, age, and sex were not associated with CMBs. Occult cerebral microhemorrhage is common in patients with moderate to severe ITP. Strong associations with ITP duration may reflect CMB accrual over time or more refractory disease. Further longitudinal studies in children and adults will allow greater understanding of the natural history and clinical and prognostic significance of CMBs.