ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the efficacy and safety of recombinant human thrombopoietin (rhTPO) combined with glucocorticoid in treatment of severe newly diagnosed primary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>From June 2009 to December 2012, 24 male patients and 38 female patients with the diagnosis of severe primary ITP in our hospital were randomized into trial group (31 cases) or control group (31 cases), the median age was 50 years (range: 21-84 years). Trial group was treated with rhTPO combined with glucocorticoid, and control group was treated with glucocorticoid only.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>At the day 3, 7 and 14 from the beginning of treatment, the average platelet count (APC) in trial group[(35.5±24.9)×10⁹/L, (135.2±94.9)×10⁹/L and (192.0±109.1)×10⁹/L]were significantly higher than that in control group[(24.5±15.6)×10⁹/L, (78.2±121.9)×10⁹/L and (95.8±60.5)×10⁹/L, P=0.022, 0.009 and 0.001, respectively]. There was no significant difference in APC between the two groups at day 28 and 90 after treatment[(147.8±59.1)×10⁹/L vs (105.1±56.9)×10⁹/L, P=0.243; (137.4±52.3)×10⁹/L vs (104.3±59.8)×10⁹/L, P=0.568, respectively]. At the day 7, 14 and 28, the complete response rates in trial group were 61.3%, 87.1% and 80.6%, which were also significantly higher than that in control group (16.1%, 29.0% and 48.3%, P=0.000, 0.000 and 0.004, respectively). The median time to response in trial group was 3 days while in the control group was 5 days; the median duration of complete response in trial group was 76 days while in the control group was 54 days. In trial group, there were 4 cases treated with platelet transfusion, while in control group there were 11 cases, respectively.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>For patients with severe primary ITP, rhTPO combined with glucocorticoid could rapidly increase the platelet count, significantly improve the complete response rate and prolonged the effect with a low incidence of tolerable adverse events compared to single use of glucocorticoid. rhTPO combined with glucocorticoid could be a new therapeutic choice to those patients.</p>