Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is a rare autoimmune disease of platelet destruction with an unclear mechanism of pathogenesis. A well-known mechanism is the phagocytosis of antibody-coated platelets by the reticuloendothelial system. C-reactive protein (CRP) is a factor in the serum of patients, facilitating this process. We aimed to investigate the relationship between rs1205 (+1846 C>T) and rs1130864 (+1444 G>A) polymorphisms, along with their impact on susceptibility, disease course, treatment outcomes, and laboratory findings in ITP. METHODS: Genomic DNA was extracted from 92 participants (46 patients and 46 healthy controls). Both rs1205 and rs1130864 polymorphisms were genotyped by the tetra-primer amplification refractory mutation system PCR (T-ARMS-PCR) procedure. Laboratory and clinical data were also recorded at the time of admission. RESULTS: The serum CRP levels were significantly higher in nearly all (95.6%) of the patients compared to controls (9.88 ± 3.15 mg/L vs. 5.06 ± 1.07 mg/L, p < 0.001). At a cut-off of 7.55 mg/L, CRP demonstrated 80.4% sensitivity and 100% specificity. No significant associations were seen regarding the relationship between rs1205 and rs1130864 genotypes/alleles with ITP risk after adjusting the odds ratio for age and sex. There was also no significant association between the two polymorphisms and disease chronicity, response to treatment, and laboratory variables. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, findings demonstrate significantly elevated serum CRP levels in nearly all ITP patients, suggesting an inflammatory process in this disease and the diagnostic value of CRP. Moreover, two specific CRP polymorphisms, rs1205 and rs1130864, do not appear to influence ITP susceptibility or clinical outcomes. However, further research is highly recommended.