Platelet count threshold for hemorrhage in patients with immune thrombocytopenia treated with antiplatelet agents

A significant proportion of older patients with immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) also have clinical indications for treatment of cardiovascular disease with antiplatelet agents. Ollier and colleagues sought to determine the frequency of bleeding in patients with ITP on aspirin therapy, finding that the pattern of bleeding, segregated by platelet count, is similar to that observed in other adults with ITP not on aspirin. They show that a platelet count of <20 × 109/L is associated with most bleeding in ITP patients on antiplatelet agents.